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THE 

Story of Akimakoo 

AN 

African Boy 


BY 

MARY MULLER 

(LENORE E. MULETS) V 

Author of “Little People of the Snow,” “Life of a Chinese 
Boy,” and *<Little People of Japan” 


1924 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 

CHICAGO 



COPYRIGHT, 1904, 1924, BY A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



LITTLE PEOPLE 
OF OTHER LANDS SERIES 


Akimakoo, An African Boy 
Little People of Japan 
Little People of the Snow 
Mustafa, The Egyptian Boy 
Pappina, A Little Italian 
Girl 

Wretched Flea, A Chinese 
Boy 

PUBLISHED BY 
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


PRINTED IN THU " TES OF AMERICA 



©Cl A7 7 8023 











CONTENTS 


Akimakoo’s Wish ...... 5 

Akimakoo’s Father . . . . . .11 

Making Ready . . . . . . .19 

The Start ....... 30 

The Journey ....... 37 

The Wary Crocodile ..... 43 

The Forest ....... 54 

The Land of the Moon ..... 61 

Camp-Fire Stories ...... 76 

Foods From the Forest ..... 90 

The Elephant Hunt ..... 102 

How An Elephant Was Saved . . .114 

Forest Birds ....... 122 

Jenn ......... 129 

Among the Cannibals ..... 137 

Home Again . ..147 









AKIMAKOO MEETS THE ONE-EYED LEOPARD 
















The Story of Akimakoo 

An African Boy 

AKIMAKOO’S WISH 

Akimakoo lay on the grass in front of 
his father’s palace. Akimakoo was the 
only son of an African king. Ever since 
he could remember Akimakoo had lived 
in this beautiful forest country. He had 
never so much as heard of a country where 
there were snows and cold winds and ice- 
covered ponds. 

Akimakoo was born one evening just 
at the end of the rainy season, when his 
home country was carpeted with the soft¬ 
est green. Since his birth twelve rainy 
seasons had passed, making beautiful the 
5 


6 


AKIMAKOO 


forest. Twelve dry seasons had passed, 
making dry and brown the grasses. Akim- 
akoo was now twelve and a half years 
old. Soon he would be old enough to 
buy a wife and live in a home of his own. 
By and by he would be king, and rule 
over his tribe. 

But it was not of these things that Akim- 
akoo was thinking as he lay in the cool 
shade of the big thick-leafed mimosa trees. 
Only the day before the men of the village, 
with wild shouts and cheers, had come in 
from a great hunt. They had brought 
with them the glossy yellow hide of the lion 
whose roar Akimakoo had so often heard 
in the night. 

That lion was dead, and his skin covered 
Akimakoo’s own couch. But the boy knew 
there were other lions in the forest. 

The hunters told stories of spotted leop¬ 
ards, which move so stealthily through the 


AKIMAKOO’S WISH 


7 


tall grasses and the under-brush. The 
hunters told of huge gorillas, which looked 
like huge hairy men and which fought so 
fiercely when attacked. The hunters told 
of crocodiles, which floated like old logs 
on the water, then suddenly opened their 
great jaws and closed them on their un¬ 
lucky prey. 

Akimakoo’s eyes grew wide with won¬ 
der at' each new story that the hunters 
told. He longed to go out into the forest 
and hunt with them. He wished to travel 
far into the forest and visit other tribes. 
He wished to see other parts of his coun¬ 
try. He wished to climb the Mountains 
of the Moon, which the hunters told him 
were many miles to the northeast. He 
wished to cross the great rivers which flow 
to the sea. 

But most of all Akimakoo wished to 
become a mighty warrior. He wished to 


8 


AKIMAKOO 





go out with other 
warriors and bring 
home provisions and 
slaves, and great 
stores of ivory. 

On more than 
one rainy day Akim- 
akoo had lain in a 
dry, sheltered place 
and listened to the 
stories which the 
brave old warrior 
Nyam-Nyam told. 

On more than 


one sunny morning 
Akimakoo had 
watched Nyam- 
Nyam and his little 
band of hunters 
and warriors hurry away on errands of war. 
Akimakoo admired the old warrior. 


NYAM-NYAM 





AKIMAKOO’S WISH 


9 


Nyam-Nyam was so tall and straight. 
He was so big and brown. His muscles 
were so strong and sinewy. He wore his 
bark dress so gracefully. He carried his 
shield so carefully. He handled his spear 
so skillfully. 

Only the evening before, Nyam-Nyam 
had had a long talk with Akimakoo’s 
father, the king. Akimakoo knew that 
his father and the old warrior were talk¬ 
ing over a great journey which was soon 
to be made. 

Nyam-Nyam was to journey farther into 
the unknown forest than ever before. He 
was to be gone many days. He was to 
return with immense loads of ivory. Some 
of the ivory was to be bought from neigh¬ 
boring tribes. Some was to be taken in 
battle if need be. 

Akimakoo, who had lain in the starlight 
and listened, wished more than he had ever 


10 


AKIMAKOO 


wished for anything in his life that he 
might go on this journey with Nyam- 
Nyam. It was of this that the little boy 
was thinking as he lay on the grass in front 
of his father’s palace. 

At last he resolved to go bravely and 
ask his father if he might go. Surely, the 
king would not refuse! And yet the boy 
did not feel at all confident of his father’s 
permission, as he walked through the long 
grasses which grew around the palace of 
the African king. 


AKIMAKOO’S FATHER 


The palace of Akimakoo’s father was 
made of bark and grasses. The roof was 
shingled with immense, broad leaves. The 
floor was of clay, pounded hard and 
smooth. 

Perhaps you do not think this fine 
enough for a king’s palace ? Akimakoo 
thought it the finest building in the world. 
He had never seen anything finer. This 
was by far the largest hut in the village. 
It was the cleanest hut in the village. It 
was the best protected hut, for it stood in 
the very center of the village. 

Moreover, the king’s hut had a door. 
It was the only hut with a door in the 
whole village. For none but kings and 
very rich people could afford doors! 
Slaves had gone into the forest to cut 
n 


12 


AKIMAKOO 


the tree from which this door was made. 
They had dragged it home. They had 
hewed the door out of the hard wood with 
their heavy, clumsy axes. 

This door stood open, and Akimakoo 
entered. 

The king was a tall, strong negro man. 
He sat on a square platform made of tiger- 
grass reeds. Over the reeds was spread a 
large leopard skin. 

The king was almost black, for he be¬ 
longed to a very dark tribe of negroes. 
His hair curled very tightly. His beard 
was braided in two long pigtails. The 
king’s lips were thick, and his teeth were 
gleaming white. He smiled kindly when 
he saw Akimakoo in the doorway. The 
slave attendant thought how like his father 
Akimakoo was growing. 

The slave spread a mat for Akimakoo. 
She gave him an elephant’s tail with which 


AKIMAKOO’S FATHER 


13 


to brush away the troublesome flies and 
mosquitoes. Then the slave returned to 
her place behind the king. With another 
elephant’s tail she 
whisked away the in¬ 
sects which continually 
fluttered about. 

For some moments 
Akimakoo sat waiting 
for his father to speak. 
As he waited he noticed 
the crisp new bark skirt 
which the king wore. 
It was of a yellowish 
color and fitted neatly. 
It was scant and short, as was the fashion 
in Akimakoo’s country. 

On the king’s neck was a very hand¬ 
some necklace. It was made of small 
many-colored beads, arranged in beautiful 
patterns. Akimakoo knew the necklace 



AKIMAKOO’S FATHER, 
THE KING 


14 


AKIMAKOO 


was the work of his older sister, Kalulu. 
On one of the king’s arms was a bead 
bracelet, of even a more beautiful pattern 
than the necklace. Akimakoo had heard 
his mother singing happily as she worked 
this bracelet for her husband, the king. 
On the other arm was a wooden charm 
which was supposed to be very powerful. 
It was covered with snake-skin, for good 
.luck. It was tied to the arm by a piece 
of cat-skin, also for good luck. 

The king’s feet were bare. About his 
ankles and half way to his knees he wore 
handsome beadwork leggings. On every 
toe and on every finger the king wore 
brass and copper rings. 

“ H ow handsome my father is!” thought 
Akimakoo. 

“How like me the lad is growing!” 
thought the king, as he sipped the palm 
wine from the little gourd cup by his side. 


AKIMAKOO’S FATHER 


IS 


Then, at last, the king spoke. 

“What is it you wish, my son ? ” he asked. 

Now that the time was come, Akimakoo 
scarcely knew how to answer. What if 
his father should refuse? What if he 
should say that Akimakoo was too young ? 
What if he should be angry ? 

Akimakoo hesitated for a moment 
only. Then he straightened his slim 
brown shoulders and stood up bravely be¬ 
fore his father, the king. 

He told his father what he longed to do 
and how he had listened to the words of Nyam- 
Nyam. 

Akimakoo said to the king, “ I want to be 
brave and fearless and venturesome like Nyam- 
Nyam and like you, father! ” 

“ What have you done to prove yourself 
man enough to go? ” asked the king. 

The boy was silent for a moment. Then 
he said: 


16 


AKIMAKOO 


“It was not much, my father. But' do 
you remember that day, two years ; go, 
when Kalulu and I went out alone i ito 
the forest, looking for ripe pineapp s? 
A young leopard cub spied us. I saw him 
creep nearer, nearer, nearer. I remem¬ 
bered what I had heard the hunters say. 
I sprang forward and struck the leopard 
cub in the eye. It was hurt and surpri; ed. 
It turned and ran. 

“It was not much to do, my fati er. 
But I was not a coward. I did not allow 
the cub to take my sister or me. 

“ But few times does my arrow fail. My 
muscles are as hard as the muscles of some 
men. I can carry my spear and my shield 
as Nyam-Nyam has taught me.” 

The king looked at his boy very prou Jy. 
Still, he hesitated a moment before he an¬ 
swered. What if a wild forest beast should 
devour his son! What if, in battle, an- 



AKIMAKOO’S FATHER 


17 


other tribe should make him prisoner! 
“ The king’s son may not be less brave 
than other black' boys,” said Akimakoo, 
proudly. 

“Indeed, he may not!” cried the king. 
“You may go out with my warriors, Akim¬ 
akoo. You may prove yourself as wise 
and careful and watchful as Nyam-Nyam 
himself. ” 

The king’s son was, after all, only a 
little black African boy. He gave one 
wild whoop of joy. He turned seven 
somersaults in front of his father’s leaf- 
covered palace. He stood on his head, 
and the sun made his brass toe-rings shine 
like gold. Akimakoo was very happy. 
Now, at last, he might prove himself a true 
man of the forest. 

“And Akimakoo!” called his father, 
laughing. The boy sprang to his feet. 
“Look for the leopard cub with one eye.” 


18 


AKIMAKOO 


“ I will bring his skin to you if I meet 
him,” said Akimakoo. 

“Yes, and wear the tip of his tail to 
bring good luck to your house,” said his 
father, still laughing. 


MAKING READY 


Kalulu, who was making for him a pair 
of leggings like the king’s, heard Akim- 
akoo’s shouts of joy. She saw his black 
legs, with the glittering toe-rings, waving 
in the air. 

“What has happened, Akimakoo?” she 
laughed. “Are you so happy because the 
rainy season is over? We shall soon have to 
go up into the corn-lands to do our plant¬ 
ing. Is it over that that you are laughing? ” 

“No,” said Akimakoo. “I care noth¬ 
ing for digging and planting. That work 
is for women and slaves. I am going to 
be a great warrior,” and he straightened 
himself up proudly. 

Kalulu only laughed, and went on 
stringing her beads. She did not dream 
of his wonderful news. 


19 


20 


AKIMAKOO 


“Indeed, brave warrior! And what 
shall you fight?” she asked, her soft black 
eyes twinkling with fun. “A little gentle, 
timid gazelle? Or an antelope, perhaps?” 

Akimakoo was used to his sister’s teas¬ 
ing. Yet to-night he felt a little angry that 
Kalulu should be so slow to understand. 

“ My father has said I may go with 
Nyam-Nyam,” he said, half crossly. 

“On the long journey?” cried Kalulu, 
her eyes wide with surprise. 

“Yes,” said Akimakoo, “on the long 
journey. We shall travel through the dark 
forest. We shall cross the roaring rivers. 
We shall fight lions and leopards and 
gorillas-—and—and—men—perhaps. We 
shall be gone for many days, perhaps for 
two rainy seasons. We shall bring home 
much ivory and many slaves. I shall be a 
man then, and—as brave a warrior as 
Nyam-Nyam.” 


MAKING READY 


21 


Kalulu still listened with wide-open eyes 
to her brother’s boasting. Akimakoo 
seemed to her but a little boy, and now 



AKIMAKOO’S HOME VILLAGE 


he talked proudly of being a mighty war¬ 
rior. Some of the blue beads fell among 
the grasses at Kalulu’s feet. 



22 


AKIMAKOO 


Some of Kalulu’s tears fell among the 
grasses, too. But she smiled again in a 
moment. 

“Is it truly true?” she said. “Let us 
tell mother.” 

Now Yombee, the children’s mother, 
was the head wife of the king. The king 
had many other wives, as is the fashion in 
Africa. But Yombee was the king’s first 
wife. 

The children thought their mother the 
most beautiful woman in the tribe. Yom- 
bee’s skin was always well oiled and shin¬ 
ing. She was always perfumed with 
sweet-scented grasses. Her bark skirt was 
never torn nor crumpled. 

Around Yombee’s waist there hung 
three chains of cowry shells. Around her 
neck were four bead necklaces. In her 
ears hung great brass rings. On her arms 
were brass bracelets. She wore twenty- 


MAKING READY 


23 


five brass rings on each leg. Yombee’s 
fingers and toes were gorgeous with rings. 

Yombee it was who cooked the king’s 
food. Yombee it was who tasted each 
dish before the king ate of it. For Yom¬ 
bee was the head wife of the king, and 
therefore she was the most honored of 
women. 

To her the children went with their 
news. Yombee was not surprised, for the 
king had already told her of the boy’s 
wish. She did not weep, for she felt very 
certain that her boy would return at the 
end of one or two — or, at any rate, three 
— rainy seasons. 

She told herself that he would be taller 
then, and have broader shoulders; that he 
would carry his spear ever so bravely; that 
he would be the handsomest, bravest war¬ 
rior and the most fearless hunter in all 
Africa. 


24 


AKIMAKOO 


Nevertheless, Yombee looked very sol¬ 
emn as she hung around the lad’s neck a 
sacred charm tied up in snake-skin. 

“ Remember, always, that you are a 
king’s son,” she said. “ Remember, also, 
that your grandfather was a king. He it 
was who founded our tribe. He was very 
brave. He burned many villages and 
brought home many slaves. 

“Your grandfather was very wise. His 
people believed all that lie told them. 
He was very rich. He had many wives. 
His many chests were filled with ivory, even 
as your father’s chests are filled with ivory. 

“ Become as brave and wise and rich as 
your father and your grandfather, Akima- 
koo. And sometimes—sometimes — think 
of Yombee, your mother.” 

Then Yombee hurried away, wiping her 
eyes on a tiny square of soft bark which 
she carried for a handkerchief. 


MAKING READY 


25 


Kalulu stood a moment, looking after 
her mother. Then she followed her into 
the hut, leaving Akimakoo alone. 

In a moment, however, Kalulu re¬ 
turned, bearing a present from her mother. 
It was a waist chain of lion’s teeth which 
Akimakoo had longed for ever since he 
was a tiny boy. 

Kalulu said nothing as she gave the 
chain to Akimakoo. Akimakoo said noth¬ 
ing as he took the chain into his little 
black hands. It is not the fashion in that 
country to say: “Thank you”; but Ka¬ 
lulu knew that the boy was grateful. 

There came such a mist over his eyes 
that he could scarcely see. There came 
such a lump in his throat that he could 
scarcely swallow. But he said nothing. 

That evening there was to be a great 
feast and dance in front of the king’s 
house. 


26 


AKIMAKOO 



YOMBEE MAKING MANIOC BREAD 


Yombee cooked the choicest parts of 
the antelope and the buffalo. She made 
large loaves of manioc bread. Manioc is 
the root of a certain plant which grows in 
Africa. To make the bread, Yombee 
soaked this root in water. Then she 
pounded it to a paste. When the paste 












MAKING READY 


27 


was boiled it became firm and thick. 
Kalulu, who sat near, skinning squash 
seeds for the feast, listened to the jingle of 
Yombee’s bracelets as she kneaded the 
manioc dough info loaves and wrapped 
them in large plantain leaves. 

Slaves brought pineapples and big 
bunches of bananas, which grew wild 
about the village. 

The king was well pleased with the feast, 
and as soon as the banana-leaf plates were 
cleared away he ordered the musicians to 
appear. Twelve men came in with huge 
drums called tom-toms. These tom-toms 
were pieces of tree trunks about six feet 
long. The inside was hollowed out, leav¬ 
ing the wood very thin. The ends of the 
drum were covered with antelope skin. At 
the king’s order the music began. The 
drummers beat wildly with two heavy 
sticks. The people sang. 


1 


28 AKIMAKOO 

Louder and louder beat the tom-toms. 
Stronger and stronger rose the voices. 
Faster and faster whirled the dancers. 
Sometimes the women danced alone. 



THE HYENA 


Sometimes the men danced alone. Some¬ 
times the men and women danced to¬ 
gether. 


MAKING READY 


29 


The great torches lit up the darkness of 
the forest. Immense bonfires caused the 
bodies of the dancers to glisten. 

The pink dawn was beginning to glow 
in the east before the dance was over. 

As Akimakoo crept into his bed he 
heard the bark of the hyena in the forest. 
He heard the roar of the lion by the river. 

“To-morrow,” whispered the sleepy boy 
to the night voices, “to-morrow I shall be 
looking—for—you! ” 


THE START 


It was near noon when the sleepy little 
village awoke. Indeed, so soundly was 
Akimakoo sleeping that Kalulu called 
twice before he answered. 

At last he came out into the sunshine, 
rubbing his sleepy eyes. 

“A great warrior you will be!” laughed 
Kalulu, as she served the lad’s breakfast. 
“See Nyam-Nyam. He has been stirring 
for more than an hour.” 

“Why did you not call me earlier?” 
demanded Akimakoo. 

Kalulu looked solemn in an instant. 

“Mother did go in,” she replied, “but 
when she saw you sleeping she would not 
disturb you. ‘Let him sleep and rest as 
long as he can,’ said she.” 

“And what said my father?” 

30 


THE START 


31 



“He wishes to speak with you,” Kalulu 
replied. 

Akimakoo went at once to the shady 
spot where his father sat. The king was 
talking with several warriors, but when 




32 


AKIMAKOO 


Akimakoo appeared, he sent the warriors 
away. 

“Do you still wish to go on this long 
journey?” asked the king. 

“I still wish to go,” was the reply. 

“There are many dangers, and the way 
is long,” said the king. “There are ter¬ 
rible beasts in the forest. There are 
terrible tribes of men in the forest. They 
are fierce and powerful. They love to 
fight. Their villages are fenced around 
with tall poles. On the top of every pole 
is a skull. Some are the skulls of beasts. 
Some are the skulls of men. These are 
the fiercest tribes in the forest. They 
would like nothing so well as to roast you 
for their supper some night. 

“Do you still wish to go on this jour¬ 
ney?” the king asked, after a pause. 

“I still wish to go,” said Akimakoo. 

“There are other terrors in the forest,’* 



THE START 


33 


the king went on. “When the dry season 
is fully on, you may be unable to find food. 
You may be unable to find water to drink. 
You may wander for days, starving, and 
dying of thirst. — Do you still wish to go 
on this journey?” 

“I still wish to go,” the boy answered. 

“Very well,” said the king. “If you 
are brave, if you are watchful, you will 
succeed. In all things follow Nyam- 
Nyam, for he is old, and wise in the forest 
ways. When you return it will be with 
chests full of ivory and cowries. Come, 
now, with me.” 

Together the two went to the hut of a 
very old hunter. On the branch of a tree 
before his doorway hung sixty-seven ele¬ 
phants’ tails. On the roof of his hut there 
were elephants’ skulls, tigers’ skulls, go¬ 
rillas’ skulls. 

“See,” said the king, “in his hunting 


34 


AKIMAKOO 


days old Hasi has killed sixty-seven ele¬ 
phants. He has also killed many other an¬ 
imals. He was once the most cunning 



hunter in the forest. 

“Now, Hasi is old 
and bent and feeble. 
He can no longer go 
out to hunt. But he 
has four strong sons. 
They will go with 
you on this journey. 
They are your slaves, 
Akimakoo. They will 
care for you and serve 
you in all ways.” 

Forth into the sun¬ 
shine stepped four 
tall, slender negroes. 
Their dark bodies 
glistened with oil. 
They wore only a 


AKIMAKOO 




THE START 


35 


little strip of soft bark about their loins. 
They smiled, showing their white teeth. 
Their front teeth were filed to a point. 
T his was to show that they were slaves. 

The four black slaves took up their 
bows and arrows and followed Akimakoo 
and his father. 

Nyam-Nyam was about ready for the 
start. There were the long, strong ropes 
of twisted pineapple fibers. There were 
the bows and the poisoned arrows. There 
were the shields of wicker, woven by the 
women. 

The shields were very thick and strong. 
The one made for Akimakoo by Kalulu 
was woven in a beautiful pattern of differ¬ 
ent colors. 

The strange-looking African dogs were 
snapping and snarling and barking. All 
was now in readiness. 

“Remember that Nyam-Nyam is wise 


36 


AKIMAKOO 


and careful,” said the king again. “Learn 
to be like him.” 

Then, with but little noise of leave- 
taking, the hunting party moved away 
into the forest. 

“It will be many moons before we see 
Akimakoo again,” said Kalulu sadly. But 
when she looked up she saw that Yombee 
was already busy cooking the king’s supper. 

That night it was Yombee and Kalulu 
who listened to the bark of the hyena and 
the roar of the lion. They shivered, not 
from cold, but at the thought that their 
Akimakoo also was out there in the forest. 


THE JOURNEY 

Akimakoo had, of course, gone many 
times before for short distances into the 
forest. But he had never been so far but 
that he could return at night. 

Now, the boy was perfectly happy. 
He dreamed of a mighty warrior who 
would some day return to the home vil¬ 
lage and say: “I am Akimakoo, returned.” 
H is round black eyes were always bright 
and eager. His sinewy black legs seemed 
never to tire. 

On the first day the party did not 
travel far. They stopped soon after sun¬ 
set on the bank of a little stream. There 
they built a huge camp fire. Over it they 
roasted what game they had shot on the 
march. After supper they lay around the 
camp fire and talked. 


37 


38 


AKIMAKOO 


Nyam-Nyam looked up at the big, 
round yellow moon. 

“How bright the moon is to-night!” 
he said. 

“ The night is nearly as light as day,” 
said Akimakoo. 

Nyam-Nyam shook his head wisely. 

“Never, never say that moonlight is as 
good as daylight, my boy,” he said. “The 
moon is unkind, and brings trouble into 
the world.” 

“Tell me what you mean,” begged 
Akimakoo. 

“Long ago,” said Nyam-Nyam, “the 
sun and the moon were sisters. They 
were of the same age. They lived to¬ 
gether in the sky. 

“Now the sun was the happy sister. 
Wherever she went she carried light and 
gladness. The moon was the discontented 
sister. Wherever she went she carried 


THE JOURNEY 


39 


unhappiness and discontent and witchery. 
One day the sun and the moon grew 
angry with each other. Over such a fool¬ 
ish thing they quarreled, too! 

“‘I am older than you!’ cried the sun, 
half in fun. ‘See how much larger I am.’ 

“‘No!’ cried the moon, ‘you are not 
the elder. I may not be so large. 
Neither are pine needles so large as plan¬ 
tain leaves. Yet which are older? I may 
not make so glaring, blinding a light as 
you. That is because my people do not 
care for such a light.’ 

“‘Your people!’ said the sun scornfully. 
‘Who are your people?’ 

“For answer the moon pointed to all 
the stars in the heavens. 

“‘Look!’ she said. ‘Those are my peo¬ 
ple. I am not alone in the world. I am 
not friendless. Where, pray, ar e.jyour peo¬ 
ple? You have no people. You are alone 


40 


AKIMAKOO 


in the world. You have no one to shine for.’ 
‘O moon, I am not alone/ answered 
the sun. ‘Look down on the earth. 



THE CUNNING TIGER 


There are my people. For them I shine. 
I send down warmth, that their plantains 
and their bananas and their manioc roots 





THE JOURNEY 


41 


may grow. I send down my light, that 
they may see their way; that they may set 
their nets and dig pits for the wild beasts 
of the forest.’ 

‘“Your people sometimes follow me. 
They sometimes go out to hunt by moon¬ 
light,’ said the moon. 

‘“O moon, there is witchery in your 
beams. Sometimes it is indeed true that 
poor, foolish men go out to hunt by 
moonlight. Then the cunning tiger and 
the sleepy-looking crocodile laugh to 
themselves.” 

“‘It is true,’ said the moon. ‘I do 
bewitch your people. Your people are but 
my insects. If they crawl out at night¬ 
time, I send my attendants to devour them.’ 

“ ‘You are cruel and unkind,’ said the sun 
to the moon. The moon smiled broadly, 
and her starry attendants winked at one 
another. 


42 


AKIMAKOO 


“ Beware of the moonlight, Akimakoo,” 
Nyam-Nyam went on; “there is witchery 
in her ways. She brings evil and sorrow. 
She brings wickedness and death. Trust 
to the sunlight and the firelight only. 
Even to-night you can see the moon smi¬ 
ling to her attendants on earth.” 

“Yes,” said Akimakoo, “and I can see 
the stars winking at one another.” 

“Keep close to your camp fire when 
you see those things,” said the wise Nyam- 
Nyam. “Let the leopard and the hyena 
walk in the moonlight.” 

Then Nyam-Nyam bade the slaves 
heap the bonfires with wood before they 
lay down to sleep. 


THE WARY CROCODILE 


“Come,” said Nyam-Nyam, early the 
next morning. “Let us go on while the 
morning is cool. In the heat of the day 
we will rest.” 

Akimakoo sprang to his feet at once. 
While the slaves were preparing to start 
he ran down to the river bank. How 
smooth and clear the water looked! How 
deep were the reflections of the trees in 
the water! 

Across the river the boy saw what he 
thought was a piece of floating log. Now 
it floated along with the river current. 
Now it was drawn under for a time. Now' 
it appeared again in the middle of the 
river, black and rough and long. 

Other logs appeared and disappeared. 

“I wonder,” said Akimakoo to one of 
43 


44 


AKIMAKOO 


the slave hunters who had followed him, 
“I wonder how so many logs happen to 
be in the river here.” 

The hunter smiled, and pulled the boy 
back a little from the bank. 

“You had better not get too near those 
logs,” he said. “They might open their 
mouths and swallow you.” 

Akimakoo knew now in an instant 
what they were. He had heard the 
hunters tell many stories of the tricks of 
crocodiles. 

“Watch,” said the hunter. “Do you 
see that young antelope coming down to 
the river to drink? That foremost croco¬ 
dile intends to have, the antelope for its 
breakfast.” 

“It doesn’t seem to be going after him,” 
said Akimakoo, watching the log-like 
body as it floated lazily and disappeared. 

It came up in a moment a few yards 


THE WARY CROCODILE 


45 


nearer to the antelope. It floated lazily. 
It disappeared. It appeared again nearer 
to the antelope! Then, what seemed but 
a little piece of bark appeared very near 
indeed. 

“How can it see?” whispered Akim- 
akoo. 

“It has little eyes on the top of its flat 
head,” the hunter answered. 

At that instant the huge jaws opened. 
There was a startled cry from the ante¬ 
lope. Then the terrible teeth snapped 
together, and the crocodile had its break¬ 
fast. In a few moments the great creature 
swam quietly away to its sunny bank. 
There it lay on the sand and digested its 
food. 

But other hungry crocodiles floated like 
logs on the river, and the boy drew close 
to the hunter. 

“There is little danger of the crocodile 



THERE WAS A FURIOUS LASHING IN THE WATER 






















































































THE WARY CROCODILE 47 

on land,” said the hunter. “His long 
mud-colored body is too big and clumsy 
to be carried well on legs so short. He 
cannot run fast. He cannot turn quickly 
on land. It is easy for one to escape the 
crocodile on dry ground. 

“But when he is in the water it is dif¬ 
ferent. There he is very cunning. He 
can swim very fast. He can dart about 
suddenly. 

“Crocodiles usually get their food as 
this one got the poor antelope. Many 
small creatures come down to the river 
bank to drink. They do not heed the 
mud-colored logs which float so quietly 
near them. Nor do they ever return to 
their forest homes. 

“Fishes, too, make food for the croco¬ 
dile. Often these huge creatures may be 
found at the mouth of streams or rivers, 
where fish are most sure to be plentiful. 


48 


AKIMAKOO 


“Unless the crocodile is hungry, he is 
not particularly fierce. He prefers to lie 
lazily in the sun and sleep. If he is 
attacked, however—ah, that is a different 
matter!” 

Just then a large water bird flew near 
one of the floating logs. Suddenly it gave 
a loud cry. Caught by the legs, it was 
drawn under the surface of the water, and 
another crocodile had its breakfast. 

“There is nothing so good as crocodile’s 
oil to keep off sunburn,” said Nyam- 
Nyam, coming up. 

“Shall we get some this morning?” 
asked the slave. Nyam-Nyam nodded. 
Akimakoo shivered, thinking of the ter¬ 
rible jaws. 

The slave glanced at the nearest float¬ 
ing crocodile. He drew a short, thick 
dagger from his belt. Then he slipped 
into the water. 


THE WARY CROCODILE 


49 


“Nyam-Nyam!” cried Akimakoo, “look 
at the crocodile’s bony, scaly covering! 
The man can never pierce it with that 
short dagger!.” 

Nyam-Nyam did not answer. He was 
watching the three other slaves, who were 
running along the bank. 

“Sh-h-h!” said Nyam-Nyam. 

But the three hunters made no noise. 
They were too well trained in the forest 
ways for that. 

Meanwhile, what had become of the 
first hunter? It seemed an hour to 
Akimakoo since he had seen the man 
dive. Suddenly there was a furious lash¬ 
ing in the water about the crocodile. The 
creature whirled this way and that. It 
lashed its tail. 

“The hunter has struck from under¬ 
neath,” said Nyam-Nyam. “He knows 
where the skin is thinnest. See! There 


so 


AKIMAKOO 


is the man. Look! the crocodile turns on 
him! It opens its great jaws—” 

“Ah-h!” It was a sigh of relief from 
Akimakoo. For just at the right moment 
the hunter had raised his dagger and 
struck the beast twice, in the eyes. 

All power seemed to leave the croco¬ 
dile. In a few moments its dead body 
was drawn up on the river bank. Prepa¬ 
rations were made for preserving its oil. 

“ I shall remember to strike the croco¬ 
dile in the eyes/’ said Akimakoo. 

“Every hunter knows that trick,” said 
Nyam-Nyam. “Had the slave thrust his 
fingers into the crocodile’s eyes, it would 
have done as well.” 

As they walked along the river bank 
Nyam-Nyam kicked out an egg from the 
sand. It was about the size of a goose 
egg and its shell was hard and limy. 

“A crocodile’s egg,” he said. “The 


THE WARY CROCODILE 


51 


mother crocodile buries her eggs in the 
sand where the sun will keep them warm 
until it is time for them to hatch. She 
usually lingers near, to see that no harm 
befalls her young. Many a mishap occurs 



WAIST CHAIN OF CROCODILE TEETH, AND SPEAR HEADS 


to the eggs, however. Sometimes they 
are eaten by animals. Sometimes they are 
destroyed by birds. 

“If the eggs are not disturbed, the tiny 










52 


AKIMAKOO 


crocodiles at last break, open the shell and 
crawl out upon the sandy beach. They 
at once creep toward the river. But per¬ 
haps a long-legged heron, watching for its 
dinner, swallows the baby crocodile. Per¬ 
haps one of the many little creatures that 
live along the water’s edge creeps up and 
gobbles the poor thing before it can reach 
the water. 

“If it does succeed in reaching the 
river, even in the water there are perils in 
store for it. There are sharp-toothed 
fishes just waiting for baby , crocodiles. 
There are immense snapping turtles whose 
chief joy is to swallow the crocodile 
babies! ” 

The party did not march on, that day. 
They ate crocodile meat for dinner and 
for supper. They rubbed their bodies 
well with crocodile oil at noontime, and 
again at night. The next morning their 


THE WARY CROCODILE 


S3 


brown skins were cool and free from sun¬ 
burn. 

“There is nothing so good as crocodile 
oil for sunburn,” said Nyam-Nyam. 

“There is nothing so good as crocodile 
meat for food,” said Akimakoo. 

“There is nothing so fine as crocodile 
teeth for waist chains,” said the slave who 
had killed the crocodile, proudly rattling 
the new chain he wore. 


THE FOREST 


The next day the party pushed on. 
Thicker and thicker grew the trees. 
Darker and darker became the shadows.. 
This was the forest, indeed! The trees 
were so close together that though it was 
a bright, sunny day, the forest was in twi¬ 
light. There was a strong wind blowing 
in the open. In the forest it was as quiet 
as in your room with the windows closed. 

“We are nearing a mighty river,” said 
Nyam-Nyam. “See how large the trees 
are. That is because even during the dry 
season their long roots can draw moisture 
from the ground. The wood of some of 
these trees is very beautiful. It polishes 
easily. Some of it is pink when polished. 
Some is chestnut. Some is yellow. 

“Do you see that little open spot o» 

54 


THE FOREST 


55 


the hill yonder? Do you see that group 
of beautiful trees? Those are ebony trees. 
Ebony never grows on low land. It never 
grows very near the river. But along the 
ridges and on top of the hills many ebony 
trees grow. The ebony is one of our finest 
trees.” 

Now they came nearer to the ebony 
trees. 

“See the long, sharp-pointed leaves,” 
Nyam-Nyam said. “Notice how dark 
their green is. See how they grow in 
clusters. They make a beautiful shade.” 

When the party came up close to the 
trees, the slaves at once went to work 
to cut one down. There were four trees 
in the group. The largest was nearly four 
feet in diameter. Its smooth green trunk 
rose straight and branchless to a height of 
sixty feet. Then long heavy branches shot 
out in all directions. 


56 


AKIMAKOO 


It was some time before the four trees 
were cut. Ak.imak.oo stood watching the 
work. 

“No wonder it takes you a long time 
to cut down those trees,” he said. “The 
centers are so hard.” 

“The heart wood of the ebony is the 
hard part which the white traders are so 
glad to buy,” said Nyam-Nyam. «All 
except the very young trees are hard and 
black at the heart. The young ones are 
white and sappy in the center. 

“See this large tree! That is fine 
ebony. Here, next the bark, are three or 
four inches of white, sappy wood. That 
is of no value. But look at the center. 
See how hard and black it is! Not a sin¬ 
gle white speck in the whole piece. And 
see how fine-grained it is—not a single 
flaw! How beautifully it will polish! 

“This is great luck. Those strange 


THE FOREST 


57 


traders who come to our village will give 
us many beads for this tree.” 

When Nyam-Nyam looked at the small¬ 
est tree he shook his head. The black 
part was streaked with white. He said 
that tree was too young. It should not 
have been cut. Ebony is of no value 
when not pure black. 

As they were not yet far from home, 
and the ebony is heavy to carry on a long 
journey, Nyam-Nyam that evening sent a 
party of slaves back to the home village 
with big loads of ebony in baskets. 

These baskets were of wicker and very 
large and strong. The black men carried 
them on their backs. Each basket was 
held in place by a strap which ran across 
the forehead of the man who carried it. 
No slave was able to carry a very large 
piece of ebony, on account of the great 
weight. 


58 


AKIMAKOO 


Near the spot where, the party was en¬ 
camped Akimakoo discovered a vine which 
was strange to him. He took a leaf of 
it to Nyam-Nyam. 

“What is this vine?” he asked. 

“That is the rubber vine,” Nyam-Nyam 
answered. “It grows everywhere in the 
forest. The strange traders think that 
valuable, also.” 

“What shall we have to eat to-day?” 
asked Akimakoo, who began to feel hun¬ 
gry. “We ate crocodile meat for break¬ 
fast, but I see no crocodiles now.” 

Nyam-Nyam laughed. Then he pointed 
to two immense trees. They were taller 
even than the ebony trees. 

“Oh,” cried Akimakoo in glee, “koola 
nuts!” 

“We will eat koola nuts to-day,” said 
Nyam-Nyam. “They are the best nuts in 
the forest.” 


THE FOREST 


59 


“I would rather have koola nuts than 
berries or pineapples,” said Akimakoo. 

“Yes, indeed.: they are a much better 
food than fruit. They give strength to a 
man. No one need starve so long as there 
are koola nuts in the forest.” 

When the party came near the trees, 
they saw the nuts falling one by one. 
Sometimes a whole cluster fell at once. 
Beneath the trees were a wild boar and 
her six little ones. How they grunted 
with pleasure when the nuts fell near them! 

“We shall have something besides koola 
nuts for dinner,” said Nyam-Nyam, raising 
his bow and fixing the arrow. 

“No!” cried Akimakoo. “Let me.” 

Away flew Akimakoo’s arrow, steady 
and true. The old boar fell. The slaves 
caught the little ones. 

The mother boar was roasted in a pit 
of coals which the slaves prepared. Very 


60 


AKIMAKOO 


sweet and delicious was the meat because 
of the wild boar’s repeated feasts at the 
koola tree. Koola nuts are about the size 
and color of walnuts. Their shells are hard 
and thick and difficult to break. The ker¬ 
nel is as large as a small plum. It is white, 
and tastes very good. 

“Eat all you like,” said Nyam-Nyam. 
“ Koola nuts never make men ill. With 
fruits and berries we must take care. Koola 
nuts hurt no one. If a man could have no 
other food than just thirty koola nuts a 
day he could keep well and strong for a 
long time.” 

Before they moved on they gathered a 
supply of the nuts to carry with them on 
the journey. They also sharpened their 
knives and spear-heads with the bark of the 
sandpaper tree. This bark is rough like a 
cat’s tongue. The Africans often use it 
for sharpening their weapons. 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 


Long, long before, when Akimakoo was 
but a small child, he had heard stories told 
by the hunters of the Land of the Moon. 
How he had longed to visit that country, 
where the people were so fat and comfort¬ 
able, and not in the least warlike! 

Now Nyam-Nyam told him that they 
were nearing the Land of the Moon. He 
said that if possible they would trade with 
the natives. If these people would not 
trade, they must fight. 

“We shall buy ivory and tobacco,” said 
Nyam-Nyam. “We shall also buy slaves 
to carry these things back to our village.” 

They came to higher and still higher 
land. Big rocks lay on every side. Sharp 
stones cut the travelers’ feet. All seemed 
dry and parched. 


61 


62 


AKIMAKOO 


Steeper and more steep grew the way. 
Now but a narrow footpath led up the 
steep mountainside. Now and then a 



SLAVES CARRYING HOME THE IVORY 


shallow stream dashed aimlessly down the 
slope. 

“At the top lies a smooth, even plain 
which just now, at the close of the rainy 
season, is beautiful. Later it will be bar- 

















THE LAND OF THE MOON 


63 


ren and brown and dry,” said Nyam-Nyam 
as they struggled on up the steep, rocky 
path. 

At last they reached the top. In every 
direction stretched the high plain, broken 
in a few places by mountain peaks. 

“This is the Land of the Moon,” cried 
Nyam-Nyam. “Look at those funny 
crooked trees. The winds have twisted 
them so. But when we go farther inland 
we shall find the most beautiful country 
in Africa.” 

The next day they came to a village un¬ 
like any Akimakoo had ever before seen. It 
was a tiny village of straw-covered houses. 
Around it grew a hedge of beautiful green 
bushes. The bushes were so thick, and 
their prickly, crooked branches so inter¬ 
laced, that no robber would have cared to 
force his way through. 

“ That is a milk-bush hedge,” said Nyam- 


64 


AKIMAKOO 


Nyam. “You will find all the villages in 
the Land of the Moon fenced about in this 
way.” 

It was at noontime they arrived. Not a 
sound was to be heard in the little village. 
It seemed as though not even a leaf stirred. 

“They are sleeping away the hot mid¬ 
day,” said one of the slaves. Just then a 
dog barked, and the whole village seemed 
to awake in a moment. 

Some ugly-looking negro men appeared 
at the village entrance. They wore ragged, 
dirty skin dresses. Across their foreheads 
were numbers of small lines, which had 
been made with a needle and some sort 
of dark dye. This dyeing of the skin is 
called tattooing. It hurts to feel the needle 
pricking, pricking, pricking. But that is a 
small matter, so long as it helps to make a 
person beautiful. Tattooing really makes 
the African look hideous, but it is his no- 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 65 

tion of beauty. Some tribes have nearly 
the entire body tattooed. 

These men were very black and very 
homely. They were large and fat. Knives 
were stuck in the leathern belts which 
they wore about their waists. One wore 
a necklace of curiously braided straw. 
Another had a band of white cow-skin 
about his head. Their hair hung in care¬ 
fully twisted curls all about their necks. 

But, though these men were horrid to 
look at, they were not unkind. They 
smiled, showing their white teeth. They 
had seen Nyam-Nyam before, and they 
knew he had come to buy their ivory and 
their tobacco. They invited the party to 
enter the village. 

Some of the houses were little better 
than straw stacks. The very best homes 
were but straw roofs supported by posts. 

At the entrance of the village stood a 


66 


AKIMAKOO 


huge carved pole. On top of the pole was 
an idol, which was so hideous that it made 
Akimakoo think of the idol which his 
father kept in a little sacred hut at 
home. The home idol had 
a pointed iron tongue, 
which stuck about two 
inches out of its mouth. 
It had a very big stomach, 
and glass eyes, while its 
face was painted red. It 
wore a necklace of cowry 
shells. 

Akimakoo was told that 
this image was very power¬ 
ful, and that on dark nights 
it walked about and spoke. 
He was told that the idol 
caused sickness to those 
whom it did not love, and brought good 
luck and gladness to its friends. 



THE KING’S IDOL 




THE LAND OF THE MOON 


67 


Akimakoo’s father gave the home idol 
food to eat. He also gave it rich gifts. 

Akimakoo was surprised now when he 
saw this still more hideous image perched 
on a pole in front of the village in the 
Land of the Moon. But the people paid 
no heed to it, and Akimakoo came to be¬ 
lieve it was not powerful, as was the home 
idol. 

The people in the little village in the 
Land of the Moon made a great feast that 
night. There were roast chickens and 
goats and antelopes. There were nuts, 
and fruits enough for a mighty army. 

At the end of the feast the women car¬ 
ried in immense watermelons. They cut 
large slices for their guests. Akimakoo 
thought he had never tasted anything so 
good as this juicy red watermelon. He ate 
slice after slice. 

“ Remember,” whispered Nyam-Nyam, 


68 


AKIMAKOO 


“you may eat as many koola nuts as you 
wish, but with fruit you must have a care.” 

“ I do not feel ill,” said Akimakoo, 
greedily taking another slice of water¬ 
melon. 

Then again the women came to their 
guests, with big baskets of peanuts. Akim¬ 
akoo had never tasted peanuts before. He 
ate and ate and ate, until he could eat no 
more. Then he crept off into the shade 
of the mimosa trees and went to sleep. 

Nyam-Nyam went on talking to the 
village chief. For one brass kettle and 
one string of pink beads he bought two 
immense ivory tusks. For one hundred 
pounds of salt he bought slaves to carry 
the ivory back to the home village. 

Nyam-Nyam also bought a funny-faced 
little black boy for Akimakoo. The boy’s 
mother sold her child for a pair of earrings 
which she thought very beautiful. When 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 69 

her son was a baby she had loved him. 
But now he was a big boy. Ten rainy 
seasons had passed since he was born. It 
was not strange, then, that she was glad 
to sell him. All African mothers feel the 
same. It is a custom to sell their children, 
and they think nothing of it. 

It was with a merry twinkle of fun in 
his big black eyes that Nyam-Nyam led 
the little fellow over to where Akimakoo 
lay on the grass. He intended to surprise 
Akimakoo. 

But it happened that Nyam-Nyam was 
the one who was really surprised. There 
on the grass lay Akimakoo. But he was 
not asleep. He was tossing and moaning 
and rolling in great pain. There were 
tears in his eyes, and the sweat stood out 
in beads on his forehead. 

“Oh, Nyam-Nyam, I am very, very 
ill!” he cried. 


70 


AKIMAKOO 


“It is the strange fruit with the green 
rind and the red heart,” said Nyam-Nyam. 
“ It is also the strange nuts, which do not 
grow on trees like other nuts, but under 
the ground like manioc roots.” 

But Akimakoo did not listen. He rolled 
on the- grass and moaned louder. 

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” he cried. “A-ee! 
A-ee! A-ee! ” 

Nyam-Nyam was alarmed. He hastily 
mixed a drink for the boy. It was lime 
juice mixed with cayenne pepper. It was 
so hot that it brought fresh tears to Akim- 
akoo’s eyes. He pushed the bowl away. 

“ Drink it,” said Nyam-Nyam sternly. 
“Drink every drop! It is good for you.” 

When Akimakoo had finished the pep¬ 
per tea he lay back on the grass. He 
seemed to feel both hot and cold at once. 
He was very miserable. “Oh, Nyam- 
Nyam, I shall die! ” he moaned. 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 


71 


Then Nyam-Nyam 
of the strange village. 
Akimakoo’s illness. 
He told the chief that 
Ak imakoo was a 
king’s son. 

“If he dies,” said 
Nyam-Nyam, “the 
boy’s father will say 
that you bewitched 
him. He will be very 
angry. He will come 
and destroy your vil¬ 
lage. He will make 
you his slave. What 
will you do, now, to 
relieve Akimakoo of 
this evil spirit? ” 

The chief of the 
frightened. He sent 
medicine man. 


went to the chief 
He told him of 



THE MEDICINE MAN 

illage was greatly 
in haste for the 


72 


AKIMAKOO 


Soon the medicine man arrived. He 
was very ugly. His teeth were filed to 
sharp points. His head' and chest and 
arms were painted red and blue and yel¬ 
low. He wore a short skirt of grasses. 
On other grasses about his waist were 
strung six bells of iron. These jangled at 
every step the medicine man took. 

In his right hand the medicine man car¬ 
ried the horn of a buffalo. It was half 
filled with a curious black powder which 
the Africans believe very powerful. In his 
left hand the medicine man carried a long- 
handled rattle of wicker. It was filled 
with monkeys’ tails and eagles’ claws and 
other powerful charms. 

The medicine man stood over Akim- 
akoo for a moment, very still. Then he 
began to leap and shout and dance. How 
the bells jangled! How the rattle shook! 
Some powder from the horn fell on Akim- 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 


73 


akoo. No one could understand the 
words of the medicine man. They were 
strange words, and his voice was very shrill. 

Then the medicine man took a piece 
of colored chalk. He made a broad stripe 
down Akimakoo’s chest. He made an¬ 
other stripe across the boy’s aching stom¬ 
ach. 

Finally the medicine man took a bunch 
of dry grass. He twisted it into the shape 
of a torch and lighted it. He touched the 
flame here and there to Akimakoo’s body, 
calling on the evil spirit to go away. At 
the touch of the flame Akimakoo was able 
to sit up very suddenly. In fact, he leaped 
to his feet. He cried out that the pain 
was gone. 

“See!” cried the men. “The medicine 
man has cured the king’s son! ” 

“The medicine man has cured him!” 
cried the women, dancing. 


74 


AKIMAKOO 


«‘It was the curious black powder,” 
said one. 

“It was the wonderful rattle,” said an¬ 
other. 

“It was the dance, and the chalk 
marks,” said a third. 

“No, it was the burning flame, which 
drove the evil spirit away,” said a fourth. 

“I believe it was the pepper tea,” 
whispered Akimakoo to Nyam-Nyam. “I 
seem to feel its warmth through my whole 
body.” 

“Sh-h-h!” Nyam-Nyam whispered 
back. “Don’t let the medicine man hear 
you say that!” 

So whether it was by the power of the 
pepper tea or of the. medicine man that 
Akimakoo was cured, you may judge for 
yourself. 

The chief and the medicine man and 
the women, and even Nyam-Nyam, said 


THE LAND OF THE MOON 


75 


that it was an evil spirit which had be¬ 
witched Akimakoo and made him suffer. 
But Akimakoo judged that the evil spirit 
must have been in the watermelon and the 
peanuts. He made up his mind that he 
would not be so greedy again. 

“Be wary of strange fruits and strange 
people,” said Nyam-Nyam, wisely. 

After resting and trading for a week the 
little party set out once more. 

“We have wasted much time in the 
Land of the Moon,” said Akimakoo, as 
they, clambered down the rocky path. 

“Not so,” answered Nyam-Nyam. “We 
must make haste slowly in our country. 
We cannot travel every day. We cannot 
hunt every day. If we did that, we should 
soon die. We must rest, and be careful 
that we do not do too much in the heat.” 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


A few nights later dark clouds scurried 
across the sky. Big drops of rain began 
to fall, causing the slaves to heap higher 
the bonfires. 

“It is good,” said Nyam-Nyam; “I am 
glad to have the rain fall. It is so seldom 
that the rains come during the dry season.” 

“What makes the rainy season, Nyam- 
Nyam? What makes the dry season?” 
asked Akimakoo. 

“I am not sure that it is true, but I 
will tell you the story which I have heard 
all my life. ” 

Then the slaves and the warriors clus¬ 
tered about Nyam-Nyam, and listened to 
the story, which most of them had heard a 
hundred times before. 

“As you know,” Nyam-Nyam began, 
76 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


77 


“the rainy season begins in September and 
does not end until Mav. 

J 

“I know a man who is a great traveler. 
He once went as far as the mouth of the 
Kongo River. There he met strange 
men with white faces, and eyes the color 
of the sky. Their home was across the 
big waters. In their land, he says, a white 
rain falls during a part of the year. It 
lies in drifts among the trees. It almost 
covers their houses. 

“The white men call their rainy season 
winter. The white rain they call snow. 
When the white rain vanishes they say 
summer has come. They are strange — 
those men with white faces and white 
rain.” 

“But the story?” begged Akimakoo. 

“Long ago,” said Nyam-Nyam, “two 
brothers wandered over the world. The 
name of one was Nchango. He is now 


78 


AKIMAKOO 


the wet season. The name of the other 
brother was Enomo. He is now the dry 
season. 

“One April day the two brothers met in 
the African forest. For weeks and weeks 
Nchango had been sending down torrents 
of rain. For weeks and weeks Enomo had 
been piercing the rain clouds with his ar¬ 
rows, and sending down long shafts of light. 

“‘I am stronger than you,’ boasted 
Enomo. 

“‘Nay, I am stronger than you,’ replied 
Nchango. 

“‘Indeed, it is not so!’ cried Enomo. 

“‘I am stronger than you,’ repeated 
Nchango. 

“Then, there, in a forest of clouds, the 
two brothers fought, to prove which was 
stronger. The people of the air watched 
and listened. 

“From May till September the brothers 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES. 


79 


fought. It seemed, indeed, that Enomo 
was the stronger. He sent down to earth 
long, straight shafts of light. He turned 
the grass brown, and the leaves yellow. 
Everything was parched and all but life¬ 
less. The dry season was on. 

“Then, one day in September, Nchango 
roused himself afresh. He hurled great 
clouds at his brother. He shot his white 
arrows at him. The beating of his tom¬ 
tom could be heard over all the land. 
The wet season was here. 

“‘H a! now which do you think is 
stronger?’ he cried. But his brother just 
poked his face through the clouds and 
smiled. ‘My turn will come,’ he said to 
the people of the air. And Enomo’s turn 
did come. 

“For years and years and years the 
brothers have struggled. Longer ago than 
any man can remember, the fight began. 


AKIMAKOO 


And just so long as the rainy season and 
the dry season follow each other, so long 
will the brothers'fight together.” 

“And which is the stronger?” asked 
Akimakoo. 

“Indeed, we cannot tell which is the 
stronger,” said Nyam-Nyam. “It has not 
yet been proved.” 

For a few moments after the story was 
told there was silence in the camp. 
Nothing was heard save the raindrops 
pattering on the leaves, and their soft hiss 
as they sometimes struck the fire. 

“Tell us another story,” said Akim¬ 
akoo. “It makes me think of home. 
Don’t you remember how we often sat 
and told stories the whole night long? ” 

“Yes,” said Nyam-Nyam, “but then 
we could sleep all of the next day.” 

But Nyam-Nyam drew Akimakoo close 
to him. He feared the lad was growing 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


81 


homesick, and that would never do. So 
this is the story Nyam-Nyam told to make 
Akimakoo laugh: 

Once an African king had a most beau¬ 
tiful daughter. The name of the princess 



AFRICAN CHARMS TO WARD OFF EVIL 


was Aronda. She had big black eyes and 
round cheeks. She smiled always, and 
was never cross or selfish. 

Aronda wore beautiful brass rings in 
her ears, and a handsome iron ring in her 










82 


AKIMAKOO 


nose. She wore six chains of pink beads 
around her neck, and six chains of cowries 
around her waist. She wore so many 
heavy anklets on her legs, and so many 
rings on her toes, that she could scarcely 
walk. 

This princess could make better manioc 
bread than any other woman of the tribe. 
She could cook monkey meat so it tasted 
like chicken. Indeed, Aronda was a 
wonderful girl. Many an African chief 
came to the village, to try to buy her for 
his wife. 

“No,” replied Aronda’s father, “I will 
not sell Aronda for ivory. I will not sell 
her for many slaves. No man is rich 
enough to buy my daughter.” 

“How, then, may we win her?” asked 
the African chiefs, for Aronda was very 
beautiful. “What can we do to win your 
daughter?” they asked. 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


83 


“There is but one way,” said Aronda’s 
father. 

“Tell us,” begged the African chiefs. 

“He who takes Aronda for his wife 
must make a bargain with me.” 

“What is it! What is it?” they cried, 
eagerly. 

“He must agree that when Aronda 
falls ill, he also will fall ill. He must 
promise that when Aronda dies, he also 
will die.” 

The African chiefs returned alone to 
their African villages. Aronda remained 
with her father. Days and weeks passed. 
No one came to ask for Aronda in mar¬ 
riage. 

After many days a bold hunter came to 
Aronda’s village. 

“What is your name?” asked Aronda’s 
father. 

“They call me The-man-who-never- 


84 


AKIMAKOO 


goes - twice - to - the - same - place,” was the 
answer. 

“What do you wish here?” asked 
Aronda’s father. 

“I wish Aronda for my wife. She is 
very beautiful. She can make good manioc 
bread, and she can cook monkey meat so 
that it tastes like chicken.” 

“Ah!” said Aronda’s father, “but will 
you agree to fall ill when Aronda falls ill?” 

“I will agree,” was the answer. 

“Will you promise that when Aronda 
dies you also will die?” 

“I will promise.” 

That very day Aronda became the wife 
of The-man-who-never-goes-twice-to-the- 
same-place. They lived in a little hut 
near her father. 

Aronda and her husband were very 
happy together. Aronda’s father was well 
pleased with his daughter’s husband. 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


85 


Aronda’s husband was a great hunter. 
One day he went out into the forest and 
killed two wild boars. One he kept for 
himself and Aronda. The other wild boar 
he carried as a present to the king. 

“Ah!” said the king, “I am exceedingly 
fond of wild boar. Go, and kill another 
for me.” 

Aronda’s husband shook his head. 

“My father gave me a law,” he answered. 
“It was that I should never go twice to the 
same place.” 

On another day Aronda’s husband went 
down by the river to hunt. He killed two 
tender young antelope as they came down 
to the water to drink. 

One antelope he kept for himself and 
Aronda. The other he carried to the king. 

“Oh,” said the king, “I am very fond 
of antelope meat. Please, please, go, and 
bring me another.” 


86 


AKIMAKOO 


Aronda’s husband shook his head. 

“My father gave me a law,” he said. 
“It was that I should never go twice to 
the same place.” 

The king was pleased with Aronda’s 
husband. Aronda was pleased with him. 

But the king wondered if he would 
keep his promise if Aronda should fall ill. 
Aronda did not doubt. She was sure that 
he would prefer to fall ill when she fell 
ill; to die when she died. 

One day her husband brought home 
some bark for which Aronda had long 
wished. It was beautiful, soft, crinkly 
bark, and it was very difficult to get. 

Aronda was sure that her husband loved 
her dearly. She sang as she cut herself a 
new skirt of the bark. She sang as she 
fitted it, and as she made the fringe around 
the bottom. Her many bracelets jingled 
merrily as she worked. 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


87 


Then suddenly Aronda’s song ceased. 
H er bracelets were quiet. Aronda lay 
back among the plantain leaves quite 
still. 

“What is the matter, Aronda? ” asked 
her husband. 

“Oh, my head aches,” Aronda answered. 
“I feel very ill.” 

“Oh, Aronda,” he cried, “do not be ill! 
If you are ill, I also shall suffer!” 

But Aronda’s head grew no better. Her 
husband tied a leaf bandage about her 
forehead. In a moment he tied one about 
his own forehead. 

Side by side they sat and suffered. 

Soon Aronda lay stretched out, stiff 
and lifeless. When the king found his 
daughter, her husband lay by her side. 

“He kept his promise,” said the king, 
weeping. 

They carried Aronda and her husband 


88 


AKIMAKOO 


to the sandy burying ground. There they 
dug a hole. 

Beside Aronda they placed a tusk of an 
elephant, some rings, some mats and some 
plates. 

Beside her husband they placed his 
spear, his hunting bag and* his knife. 
They also put in a slave as attendant. 
When the grave was covered over, there 
was a mound of sand. 

“No, no!” cried the king. “Do not 
leave a mound. Do you not know how 
the leopards and the hyenas prowl about 
this place? You must dig a deeper 
hole.” 

Therefore the slaves took Aronda and 
her husband up. They dug the hole 
deeper. They put Aronda and her slave 
and her rings and mats and plates into the 
deeper hole. Then they turned to 
Aronda’s husband. 


CAMP-FIRE STORIES 


89 


Aronda’s husband was seen to shake his 
head. Then he spoke: 

“My father gave me a law,” he said. 
“It was that I should never go twice to 
the same place.” 

Then Aronda’s husband gathered up 
his knife and his spear and his hunting 
bag, and The-man-who-never-goes-twice- 
to-the-same-place was never again seen in 
the village. 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 


Once, in the heat of the day, the party 
lay under an immense baobab tree. 

“This tree might serve as a palace,” said 
Akimakoo. 

And the boy was quite right in what he 
said. The branches of the tree stretched 
at least seventy-five feet on every side of 
the trunk. The outer edges touched the 
ground. 

When the tree was in bloom its great 
white clusters of blossoms hung on stems 
a yard long. Then, indeed, it was a tent¬ 
like palace covered with flowers. Now 
the fruit was ripe. It hung on the stems 
where the white blossoms had hung. The 
fruit was the size of a muskmelon. 

“Oh, see the monkey-bread! See the 
monkey-bread!” shouted Akimakoo, when 

90 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 91 

he saw the melon-like fruit of the baobab 
tree. For “monkey-bread” is the name 
by which Africans call it. 

The fruit was sweet and juicy, and 
Akimakoo thought it very good. He 
squeezed some of the juice into his gourd 
cup, and drank it as we drink lemonade. 
The drink proved very refreshing. 

That day the slaves cooked some of the 
leaves of the baobab tree with their meat. 
Nyam-Nyam said this would keep away 
feyer and other diseases. He likewise 
gathered some of the bark, to carry along 
as medicine. 

Just as they were ready to eat their 
dinner, some slaves came in, shouting and 
laughing. They bore a strange kind of 
fruit. It was butter fruit, which grows on 
a remarkable tree called the “butter tree.” 
Akimakoo spread some of the butter fruit 
on his manioc bread, just as you spread 


92 


AKIMAKOO 


butter on bread. Akimakoo thought it 
very fresh, sweet butter. 

Besides “monkey-bread” and tree but¬ 
ter, Akimakoo had gingerbread for his 
dinner. It was not gingerbread such as 
your mother makes and bakes in the oven. 
Akimakoo’s gingerbread grew on a ginger¬ 
bread tree. This is a kind of palm tree 
which grows to an immense height. Its 
leaves are large and fan-shaped. From 
these leaf-fibers ropes are sometimes 
twisted. 

The gingerbread was not served in 
slices. It grew in nice round balls about 
the size of an orange. The outer skin 
was red and thick. Akimakoo pulled this 
off. Ah! then he came to the real ginger¬ 
bread. It was thick and spongy and 
sweet. Indeed, it looked very like our 
own gingerbread. In the center was one 
hard, glass-like seed. 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 93 

“Oh!” cried Akimakoo to all who 
were eating the fruit, “be sure to save 
the seeds. Kalulu has long wished for a 
necklace made of these seeds. They are 
so shiny and glass-like, she says.” 

So the seeds were carefully saved for a 
necklace for Kalulu. 

“I wonder what Kalulu is doing now,” 
said Akimakoo thoughtfully. 

“Oh,” laughed Nyam-Nyam, “that is 
an easy question to answer! Kalulu is 
watching the slaves dig ground-nuts from 
the farm lands. It is just the time now 
to dig ground-nuts.” 

“What queer nuts those are!” said 
Akimakoo. “First comes the trailing 
vine, with its tiny yellow flowers. By and 
by the yellow blossoms fade. The petals 
fall. Then a tiny pod begins to form. 
The pod grows larger. 

“As it grows, the pod bends its head 


94 


AKIMAKOO 


lower and lower. At last it touches the 
ground. It grows heavier and heavier, for 
the green nuts are all the time growing 
larger. The stem is slender, and unable 
to bear the weight. So at last the nut 
buries itself in the ground. There it 
ripens. 

“How often,” Akimakoo went on, “I 
have sat and watched the slaves as they 
dug ground-nuts! How lazily they used 
their long pronged forks! How slowly 
they picked the nuts from the vines and 
spread them out to dry!” 

“Yes,” said Nyam-Nyam, “and how 
good the ground-nuts tasted when they 
were carefully roasted by Kalulu.” 

“Or when Yombee, my mother, beat 
them into meal and made porridge of 
them,” added Akimakoo. “I wish—” 

“Omemba! Omemba!” shouted a slave. 

At that shout Akimakoo sprang to his 


FOODS FROM THE FOR'EST 


95 


feet. “Omemba” meant snake! Where 
was it? 

There, hanging from a branch of the 
baobab tree was a huge python. At the 



A PYTHON KILLING ITS PREY 


sound of the shout the reptile dropped to 
the ground. It would have hurried away 
to a place of safety, but the slaves sprang 



96 


AKIMAKOO 


at the python with their knives, and it 
soon lay dead. 

When measured, the snake was found 
to be thirty feet long. Its skin was tough 
and thick. The meat was used for food. 
The Africans think it very good, though I 
doubt if we should care for it. 

The Africans are not much afraid of the 
snakes which are so plentiful in their 
woods. African snakes very seldom attack 
a man. 

The huge python hangs from the 
branches of trees and 'waits for its prey. 
If some antelope or other animal happens 
to pass, the python drops upon it. It 
coils itself round and round the luckless 
creature and slowly squeezes the life out 
of it. Then the great snake swallows its 
dinner at one mouthful. Thus gorged, it 
creeps off to digest its food. 

It seems strange that, though this snake 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 


97 


often captures much larger creatures, it 
seldom attacks man. 

The python has no poison fang, and its 
only way of obtaining food is slowly to 
crush the life out of the unlucky animal 
which comes in its way. 

There are other, smaller, snakes in the 
African forest. These have poison fangs. 
They, however, are very easily alarmed. 
They run at the first approach of danger. 
They feed only on birds and squirrels. So 
the natives are not much afraid of even 
these poisonous snakes. 

There is a huge water snake which may 
often be seen floating on the streams or 
rivers. Sometimes it lies quietly coiled 
on a branch or vine beneath the water. 
It feeds on fish and other small water 
creatures. 

There is one little insect which Africans 
fear more than they do snakes. They are 


98 


AKIMAKOO 


more cautious of disturbing it than they 
are of disturbing many large animals. It is 
the eloway fly. Its clay nest is bottle¬ 
shaped, and filled with tiny holes, which 
are entrances to the home. This clay nest 
is usually hidden among the thick leaves 
of the trees. Most often it overhangs the 
waters of a stream or river. The clay of 
the nest is remarkably hard. It is almost 
impossible to break it. 

“We never try to break the nest of an 
eloway fly,” said Nyam-Nyam. “Indeed, 
anyone would know better than to dis¬ 
turb that little creature. Its attack is too 
powerful to be pleasant. The sting leaves 
so much poison in the wound as to make 
it very painful.” 

“Yes,” said one of the slaves, rubbing 
his arm; “do you see this swelling? It is 
now three days since I accidentally brushed 
against an eloway’s nest. Instantly I dived 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 99 

beneath the water, for I knew the flies 
would not follow me there. But I was 
not quick enough. One fly went under 
the water on my right arm. 

“I swam for some distance under water. 
When I crawled out at a safe distance 
from the nest that little fly was still on 
my arm. In fact, I was obliged to pull it 
loose. Ever since then my arm has pained 
me. Sometimes it does not ache so badly, 
but about once in an hour the poison 
seems to gain force. Then it throbs and 
burns fearfully. 

J 

“Keep away from eloway nests, Akim- 
akoo. If you should be so unlucky as to 
disturb one, dive beneath the water. It is 
your only hope of escape. You will not 
need to swim far, for the eloway never 
follows for any distance.” 

“Be watchful, also, of the spiders,'' 
said Nyam-Nyam. “Their poison, too. 


100 


AKIMAKOO 


is sometimes very powerful. Their nests 
may be seen spread on almost every bush.” 

“Yes,” said Akimakoo, “and these webs 
are very strong. This morning I saw a 
bird caught so fast in a spider’s web that it 
could not escape. The forest seems full 
of dangers.” 

“Yes, the forest life is full of dangers. 
But, after all, it is the finest life in the 
world. Wait until we meet with some of 
the big beasts of the woods. Then you 
will know the real joy and the real danger 
of being an African hunter.” 

“Excepting the crocodile, we have met 
with no large beasts,” said Akimakoo. 

The slave who sat nearest the lad smiled, 
showing his pointed teeth. 

“I think you will not have to say that 
at this time to-morrow,” he said. 

“Why?” 

“There are elephants about here. As I 


FOODS FROM THE FOREST 


101 


was going through the underbrush I saw 
signs of them. They have broken a path 
through the forest. To-morrow we shall 
have sport.” 

“Elephants!” cried Akimakoo. 

“Ivory!” cried Nyam-Nyam. 

“Sport!” said the slave. 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 


“What did the hunter mean when he 
said that he knew elephants were about?” 
asked Akimakoo. 

For answer Nyam-Nyam showed the 
boy a path leading through the jungle. 
The thick underbrush was trampled. The 
larger, stiffer branches of the trees were 
broken. 

“Only elephants can make such a path 
through the jungle,” said Nyam-Nyam. 
“Only their tough sides could break those 
branches. Only their immense feet could 
trample that underbrush. The great crea¬ 
tures march along single file. Many a 
path do they break for us through the 
forest.” 

“It seems almost cruel to kill the big, 
sleepy beasts,” said Akimakoo. “They 
102 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 


103 


never harm anyone. They are peaceful 
-and quiet.” 

“Their ivory is valuable,” said Nyam- 
Nyam. 

“Come! Come!” cried the hunters, im¬ 
patiently. “It is quite time we were off.” 

Then, carefully following the path which 
the elephants had made, they plunged into 
the forest. 

The party went forward very quietly, 
that they might not frighten the hog: 
beasts away. For one hour they followed 
the trail—two hours—three hours. Akim- 
akoo’s slim black legs began to tire. He 
grew impatient, and was on the point 
of telling the hunters they were surely 
mistaken. 

“Sh-h-h!” said the foremost hunter 
just then. 

“Sh-h-h! Listen!” said another. 

The whole party stopped. In a mo- 



104 


AKIMAKOO 


ment the sound came again. It was the 
trumpeting of a herd of elephants. 

“They are not fighting,” said one 
hunter. “The trumpeting is too soft for 
that. I fancy they have found some food 
which they like. Elephants have a habit 
of making that soft sound of contentment 
and satisfaction. Let us be very careful 
not to alarm them.” 

Softly now they crept forward. Soon 
the party came in sight of the herd. The 
elephants were feeding from a group of 
plantain trees. There is nothing of which 
the elephant is so fond as the leaves and 
fresh fruit of the plantain tree. It was no 
wonder, then, that the great voices were 
murmuring contentment. 

With their long trunks the elephants 
reached for the freshest leaves and the best 
of the fruit. One lazily scratched his head 
against the rough trunk of a tree. An- 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 


105 


other grasped a slender tree with his trunk 
and shook it over his head to brush the 
flies away. When they set down their 
huge feet the branches crackled and 
broke. When they walked their feet 
made such a booming sound that it 
seemed as though an army marched. 

One big fellow, at least ten feet high, 
was the master of the herd. Every elephant 
herd has its captain or master. All the 
other elephants of the herd follow him. 
Sometimes two elephants fight for the 
mastery of a herd. It is a wonderful sight 
to see the mighty beasts fight. They squeal 
and trumpet fiercely. They charge at 
each other with their sharp, heavy tusks. 

The elephant’s hide is very thick, but 
sometimes it is sadly torn in a fight. Some¬ 
times the sharp tusks of one elephant are 
driven into his foe’s side to a great depth. 
It is like a double sword thrust, and the 


106 


AKIMAKOO 


poor beaten elephant bleeds to death. 
At the beginning of a fight the ele¬ 
phants always charge at each other with 
lowered heads. These huge heads come 
together with such force that they give 
forth a booming sound. 

When the fight is ended, he who comes 
off victor is master of the herd. The de¬ 
feated one, if not too badly hurt, wanders 
off alone into the forest in search of other 
herds to conquer. Or, if very badly 
wounded, he lies down and dies, while 
the victor proudly marches away with the 
whole herd following him. 

Sometimes hunters find elephants’ tusks 
lying in the forest. You would wonder 
why valuable ivory had been left so care¬ 
lessly. But the African hunters will tell 
you that these tusks are but the remains 
of some poor fellow that was beaten in 
the fight, and died alone in the forest. 



THE ELEPHANTS 


































































108 


AKIMAKOO 


When Nyam-Nyam saw the herd of ele¬ 
phants feeding peacefully, he gave a low 
whistle. It sounded like a bird’s note, but 
the hunters on hearing it at once dropped 
to the ground. They crept back among 
the trees very silently. 

“Why are you running away?” whis¬ 
pered Akimakoo in a disappointed tone. 

Nyam-Nyam laughed. 

“Watch,” he said. “Watch and see, my 

It was nearly noontime, and the sun 
beat down furiously hot about the young 
plantain trees. For a little while longer 
the elephants ate of the green leaves. But 
presently they began to grow warm and 
sleepy. They lay down one by one in the 
shady places. When the hunters saw this 
their eyes shone with excitement. It was 
just what they had been waiting for. They 
now crept forward like snakes. Not a 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 


109 


sound did they make, but their bright 
knives gleamed in the sunlight. 

The master of the herd lay nearest. He 
was fast asleep, with his head facing the 
hunters. One of his mates lay near him. 
She was but resting, and placidly switching 
away the flies. 

“We shall get them both,” whispered the 
hunters as they crept nearer. 

Slowly, silently, the hunters neared the 
huge beasts. Then, quick as a flash, they 
sprang up. 

One hunter lifted his big sharp knife in 
both hands. With all his strength he 
struck the trunk of the sleeping elephant. 
By that one cruel stroke the trunk was 
cut off - . The poor bewildered elephant 
struggled to his feet. But between pain 
and surprise he knew not what to do. 

Meanwhile his mate fared no better. At 
the moment that the master of the herd 


110 


AKIMAKOO 


lost his trunk she felt a sharp pain in her 
hind leg, just above the heel. She sprang 
up. But she could not run, and she felt 
the slash of the knife again. The sinews 
of her other hind leg were cut. She fell 
to the ground, trumpeting and squealing 
loudly. 

So there in the hot sunshine the master 
elephant and his mate bled to death, while 
the rest of the herd fled through the for¬ 
est. The hunters were wild with joy. It 
was not often that they caught two ele¬ 
phants so easily. 

There is much danger in elephant 
hunting. Sometimes the wounded ele¬ 
phant charges upon the hunter. Then 
the hunter must be nimble and cool- 
headed indeed if he wishes to escape. 

That afternoon the slaves dug a deep 
pit almost a yard square. They filled the 
pit with wood and started a roaring fire. 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 111 

“Oh, I know what you are going to 
do!” shouted Akimakoo. “We shall have 
elephant’s foot for supper.” 

The slaves nodded and grinned. 

“Well, not for supper to-night,” they 
said. “Perhaps it will be done for to¬ 
morrow’s supper.” 

Soon the hole was very hot and there 
was a fine bed of coals in the bottom. 
Then the slaves brought the enormous 
hind foot of the master elephant. They 
dropped it on the hot coals, and covered 
it with green wood and damp grasses. 
Over all this they put mud, which they 
tramped down firmly, so that no heat 
could escape. Then they left the foot to 
bake. They rested and told stories for 
the rest of the day. 

The next morning bright and early the 
little party was at work. They were to 
remove the elephants’ tusks. This was no 


112 


AKIMAKOO 


easy task, for they were deeply imbedded 
in the skull. It was with knives and axes 
that the slaves finally chopped the tusks 
loose. They carried the four tusks to 
Nyam-Nyam. 

The master elephant’s tusks were the 
larger. One of them weighed ninety-two 
pounds. The other weighed eighty-seven 
pounds. Those of the smaller elephant 
weighed about fifty pounds apiece. It is 
said that an elephant’s tusks are never 
both of exactly the same size and weight. 

Besides the tusks the hunters also saved 
some of the elephants’ teeth. These might 
be carved into beautiful rings, the hunters 
said. 

Nyam-Nyam kept the tail of the master 
elephant for himself. Akimakoo waved the 
tail of the other elephant about his head 
for many days. There is nothing so good 
to drive away the flies as elephants’ tails. 


THE ELEPHANT HUNT 


113 


The hairs are so long and coarse that there 
is no escape for the flies, which become 
entangled. 

That night the slaves uncovered the fire 
hole, and lifted out the elephant’s foot. It 
was beautifully roasted. The thick sole 
and the tough skin dropped off. There 
lay the meat, tender and juicy. 

“Ah,” said Nyam-Nyam, when they had 
eaten all they wished, “we still have meat 
enough for our breakfast. One elephant’s- 
foot is enough to feed fifty men. There 
are but twenty-five of us.” 


HOW AN ELEPHANT WAS SAVED 
A FABLE 

That evening the hunters stretched 
themselves out early for sleep, for they 
were very tired. But sleep did not come 
to Akimakoo. He was much too excited 
to sleep. He tossed and tumbled and 
wished for morning to come. 

One of the slaves who lay near Akim¬ 
akoo also was awake. He had received 
a scratch from a thorn tree during the 
day. The wound was hot and throbbing. 
Akimakoo rubbed the slave’s arm with a 
little palm oil. Then he bound a fresh, 
thick leaf over the scratch. It cooled the 
feverish spot and the slave was grateful. 

“Why do you not sleep?” asked the 
slave. 

“I can do nothing but think of the ele- 

114 


HOW AN ELEPHANT WAS SAVED 115 

phants we killed to-day,” said the boy. 
“I wonder why no elephants ever fell into 
the pit behind our home village. Once in 
that pit, no elephant would ever have a 
chance to escape, I think.” 

“I know a story of an elephant that 
did escape from the pit into which it fell,” 
said the slave. “Would you like to hear 
the story?” 

“Yes, yes!” whispered Akimakoo. He 
crept up close to the slave. They talked 
in whispers, so that the others might not 
be awakened. 

“Once a huge, long-tusked elephant 
was wandering in the forest,” said the slave. 
“Here and there the elephant stopped to 
eat of the juicy leaves. Presently he saw 
a whole group of the plants of whose leaves 
he was most fond. The elephant hurried 
forward. But he never reached the plants. 
He fell into a deep, deep pit. 


116 


AKIMAKOO 


“‘Alas!’ cried the elephant, as he turned 
and rolled helplessly. ‘Alas! now my life 
is over. Soon the hunters will come and 
shoot their arrows into me. They will cut 
me with their sharp knives. I shall die! ’ 

“Just then a large eagle alighted on the 
branch overhead. 

“‘Oh,’ sighed the elephant, ‘if you could 
only help me out! ’ 

‘“I cannot lift you out,’ said the eagle. 
‘But I can carry a message. If you have 
ever done a kind deed for any one, send 
for him. He will come and help you out.’ 

“The elephant laughed, even in the 
midst of his trouble. 

“‘I have helped no one who can now 
help me,’ he said. ‘Once the King of the 
Rats and his whole family were caught by 
some little black boys. The boys put the 
King of the Rats into one jar of water, and 
his family into another jar. Then they 


HOW AN ELEPHANT WAS SAVED 117 

left the two jars side by side and ran off to 
play. 

“‘When I came along,’ said the elephant. 
‘I broke the jars. The Rat King and his 
family were free. But the Rat King could 
never help me! ’ 

“‘Nevertheless, I shall go and tell him 
that you are in trouble,’ replied the eagle, 
flying away. 

“A gaily-colored parrot now flew near. 
It saw the elephant in the pit, and stopped. 

“‘Ah,’ chattered the parrot, ‘are you the 
elephant who helped the Queen of the 
Parrots last year?’ 

“‘Yes,’ said the elephant. ‘Some black 
women put the Queen of the Parrots into 
a cage. They hung the cage outside their 
hut. I came along and saw the poor pris¬ 
oner. She was very unhappy, and wished 
to fly back to the forest. I broke the cage 
and set the Parrot Queen free.’ 


118 


AKIMAKOO 


“‘I will go and tell our queen that you 
are in trouble,’ said the parrot: 

“‘What can a parrot do to help an ele¬ 
phant out of a pit?’ groaned the elephant, 
in despair. But the parrot had already 
flown away. 

“For fully an hour the elephant turned 
and twisted in his narrow prison. But the 
pit was deep and he only tired himself. 
He could not get out. By and by he heard 
the patter, patter, patter of many feet. At 
first he thought it was the black men com¬ 
ing for him. He struggled more fiercely 
to escape. Then he listened again. 

“No! No black men ever made that 
tiny patter, patter, patter when they ran. 
It was the King of the Rats and all of his 
people. 

“‘I have come to help you out of the 
pit,’ said the Rat King. 

“‘O Rat King,’ said the elephant, ‘you 


HOW AN ELEPHANT WAS SAVED 119 

mean well, my friend. But you cannot 
help me.’ 

“Then there was a whirring, fluttering 
sound in the air. The sky was darkened 



THE PARROT QUEEN 


by a million pairs of wings. The Queen 
of the Parrots had arrived, with all of her 
subjects! 

“‘I have come to help you out of the 
pit, my friend,’ said the Parrot Queen. 


120 


AKIMAKOO 


“‘O Parrot Queen,’ said the elephant, 
‘you mean well, my dear. But you can¬ 
not help me.’ 

“ The Queen of the Parrots gave an 
order. Her million subjects began to 
break branches and leaves from the trees 
and throw them into the pit. 

“The King of the Rats gave an order. 
His million people began to dig at the 
edge of the pit. They gnawed and nib¬ 
bled, nibbled and gnawed. And as they 
gnawed they threw the earth into the pit. 

“‘You little creatures can never get me 
out!’ still moaned the elephant. 

“Then the million parrots flew faster. 
The million rats dug more quickly. Very 
soon the pit was filled. The elephant was 
able to walk quietly away into the forest. 

“So it happened that the black men did 
not sell the ivory of that elephant’s tusks. 
The black women did not have that ele- 


HOW AN ELEPHANT WAS SAVED 121 

phant’s tail with which to whisk flies from 
the dinner table.” 

“I wonder if that story is true,” said 
Akimakoo sleepily. 

But the slave did not answer. 


FOREST BIRDS 


One day a hunter brought Akimakoo a 
bird. It had soft gray feathers and a scar¬ 
let-tipped bill. Its beak was strong and 
curved. Akimakoo grew very fond of the 
gray bird and always kept it near him. 

One morning very early the boy was 
awakened by hearing his name called, over 
and over again. He opened his eyes and 
looked about. No one was stirring. He 
lay down once more to sleep. Hardly 
were his eyes closed when he heard the 
sound again: 

“Akimakoo! Oh, Akimakoo!” called a 
mocking voice from the branches above 
him. He looked up and there sat—his 
gray bird with the scarlet-tipped bill! 

“Your parrot is learning to talk,” said 
one of the slaves, laughing. 

122 


FOREST BIRDS 


123 


To be sure! Akimakoo had nearly for¬ 
gotten how well these gray parrots can learn 
to speak. They are said to be the most 
valuable of parrots because they learn so 
readily. After this Akimakoo never grew 
tired of teaching his parrot new words. 

I think his pet bird made him look 
more carefully at the other birds of the 
forest. One day he looked up into a tree 
and there he saw a nest big enough for a 
hundred birds. From the nest flew a bird. 

“What bird is that, Nyam-Nyam?” 
asked the boy. 

“That is a grosbeak. See its thatched 
straw hut. Do you notice how the roof 
spreads out over the edge of the nest? 
Because of that roof no snake or other 
reptile can get into the nest. The door¬ 
ways are just under the eaves, but you 
cannot see them unless you look very 
carefully. 


124 


AKIMAKOO 


“Not for one pair of birds was this nest 
built. Sometimes hundreds of birds live 
in these thatched-roof bird houses. There 
are halls inside, and from these halls open 
the nests of the different families. 

“The nests of the grosbeak are not built 
for one season only. Year after year the 
birds come back to the same old house at 
nesting time. Little by little they add to 
the house as more room is needed. I have 
seen boughs completely covered with these 
nests. I have seen trees broken down by 
their weight. 

“These birds are wonderful little work¬ 
ers. All day long they may be seen dart¬ 
ing hither and thither. They select only 
fine grasses to weave into the house.” 

“It is surely a wonderful bird’s nest,” 
said Akimakoo. 

On another day Akimakoo found the 
nest of a tailor-bird. It was made of liv- 


FOREST BIRDS 


125 


mg green leaves. The leaves were sewed 
together with threads from spiders’ webs. 
The nest with its tiny opening swung 
softly in the breeze. The little father 
and mother tailor-birds flitted proudly in 
and out. 

But no less proud were the families of 
African weavers living close by in the 
forest. 

Different families of weavers use differ¬ 
ent material. Some use coarse straw. 
Some use fine, tough stems of grasses. 
Some use the fine fibers of plants and 
trees. 

One pair of these yellow-capped birds 
had woven a firm nest of grass-stems. 
They lined it with leaves which exactly 
fitted in place. They hung the nest at 
the end of a twig. There their tiny nest¬ 
lings rocked, secure from all harm. 

“Ah, there is a korw6 bird,” said one 


126 


AKIMAKOO 


of the slaves, as they were traveling along 
one day. “I should like to show its nest 
to you, Akimakoo.” 

“Why?” asked Akimakoo. 

“Because it is built in such a queer 
fashion. Look closely at all the tree 
trunks. If you see a small heart-shaped 
hole in any tree, call me.” 

They went along silently for some time. 
Then Akimakoo cried out: 

“There, there is a hole, but it is only a 
tiny slit, and not nearly big enough for a 
bird to go through.” 

The slave laughed. 

“Yet that is the korwe’s nest,” he said. 
“When the nest is first built inside the 
tree, an opening is left so that the birds 
may pass in and out. But by and by the 
nest is finished. The white, pigeon-like 
eggs are laid in the nest. 

“Then the mother korwe must keep 


FOREST BIRDS 


127 


the eggs warm. She must not leave them. 
In order that all may be quite safe, the 
father korw6 plasters up with clay the 
hole by which the mother korw6 entered. 
He leaves just a tiny slit through which he 
may feed her. 

“The mother bird is quite happy in her 
home prison. She lines the nest with her 
own soft feathers. Then she waits pa¬ 
tiently for the eggs to hatch. 

“By and by the babies appear. But they 
are still too little to fly. The mother korwe 
does not leave them. The father korwe’s 
wings are never weary. He brings food 
now for the mother and babies too. In¬ 
deed, before the babies are ready to fly, 
Father Korwe becomes quite thin and 
weak. 

“When the corn is ripe, and the young 
birds are fully fledged, they and their 
mother pick the plaster from their doorway 


128 


AKIMAKOO 


and come out. The mother and her 
young ones wander in the corn fields. 
They now can procure their own food. 
But alas for poor Father Korwe! Some¬ 
times at the end of this long period of hard 
work he is too weak to go with his family. 
At the first heavy rain he becomes numb 
and cold, and falls to the ground. Thus, 
very often the father korwe gives his life 
for his family.” 


IENN* 


“We must be more watchful than ever 
now,” said Nyam-Nyam one day. “We 
do not wish to fall into the hands of the 
cannibals. They are the men who eat 
other men. We do not care to serve as 
their breakfast some morning.” 

“Ah,” said the slaves, shivering with 
fear, “we are near their country now. If 
they discover us we shall never escape.” 

“Nonsense!” said Nyam-Nyam. “Do 
we not wear powerful charms? They will 
keep us from harm. Do not fear. Sit 
down, and I will tell you a pleasant little 
cannibal story.” 

This is the story -which Nyam-Nyam 
told: 

Shimba was a rich cannibal chief. He 


*Ienn means mirror. 




THE CANNIBAL CHIEF SHIMBA 







IENN 


131 


had eight new houses. He had thirty 
chests filled with cowries and ivory and 
beads. 

Now Shimba had made a vow which 
he was bound to keep. He had sworn to 
eat any man who should quarrel with him. 
It happened that Shimba had many ene¬ 
mies. They all quarreled with him. One 
after another Shimba ate them. 

At length Shimba was left alone in his 
kingdom. Then he went to a neighbor¬ 
ing tribe, seeking a wife. There it was 
that he met the beautiful Ienn. Ienn was 
the only daughter of the neighboring chief, 
and she was very lovely. 

So Shimba married the lovely Ienn just 
at the beginning of the rainy season. He 
took her with him to his home village, 
which was now deserted and lonely. Shimba 
loved his wife very dearly. Every morning 
he rose early and went out into the forest 


132 


AKIMAKOO 


to trap wild animals. Every evening he 
came home with meat and fruit and nuts 
for Ienn. 

Now Ienn had three brothers. They 
hated Shimba bitterly. They were angry 
when they knew that Shimba had married 
* their sister. 

“I will go and bring Ienn home,” said 
the eldest brother. 

Shimba was away when the brother ar¬ 
rived. The brother wished to carry Ienn 
away at once. But she declared herself quite 
happy, and would not go with him. While 
they were talking, Shimba came home. He 
was very, very angry. He quarreled with 
Ienn’s eldest brother, and —kept his vow. 

In a few days Ienn’s second brother 
came to carry Ienn home. He fought 
with Shimba for long, long hours. In the 
end Shimba won the fight, and —kept his 
vow. 


IENN 


133 


At length came Ienn’s third and young¬ 
est brother. He did not fear King Shimba. 
For this youngest brother carried a power¬ 
ful charm. He knew that Shimba would 
not eat him. With the youngest brother 
Shimba fought from morning until night. 
At sunset Shimba gave up the battle. He 
had never in his life been beaten before. 
He just put his head in his hands and 
sobbed. 

“Boy,” he said, “you may take your 
sister. I am beaten.” 

Then Ienn’s youngest brother laughed. 
Shimba sprang up in a rage. 

“But remember this,” he said angrily: 
“if your sister ever marries again, she shall 
die.” 

Then Shimba cast himself into the river 
where the water was deep and still. There 
Shimba drowned, and that night the young¬ 
est brother carried the beautiful Ienn home. 


134 


AKIMAKOO 


Now after many days Ienn married the 
king of another village. There she went 
to live in a beautiful new hut which had 
been built for her. 

But alas, only three days did Ienn live 
in the new home. Suddenly she fell ill. 
There was no help for her. The medicine 
man made the most hideous noises. He 
danced, and jangled his bells. He called 
on the evil spirit which made Ienn ill. He 
begged it to go away. But that night Ienn 
died. 

Then the brother remembered the last 
words of Shimba. The boy had loved his 
sister dearly. He sorrowed and sorrowed 
over her death. 

One day the brother walked by the river¬ 
side. He looked down into the deep, quiet 
water where Shimba had died. Suddenly 
he started back in surprise. There at the 
bottom he could see Shimba sleeping 


IENN 


135 


peacefully. By his side lay his wife, the 
beautiful Ienn. 

In life Ienn had had beautiful shining 
nails. So brightly polished were they that 
they seemed to reflect the things about 
them like mirrors. It was for this very 
reason that she was called Ienn, or look- 
ing-glass. 

Now in the water Ienn’s nails shone clear 
and large. Looking down into the river, 
the brother could see the blue sky and the 
clouds and the trees reflected in the water. 
He could even see his own face there. 

By and by the bodies of the sleeping 
king and his beautiful bride could no 
longer be seen. The river covered them 
gently. But still the brother could see his 
own face reflected in the waters below. 
In fact, ever since then people have been 
able to see the reflection of themselves, 
and of the sky and the clouds, and of all 


136 


AK.IMAKOO 


things above, in the deep quiet of the 
waters. 

Such is the story which the strange war¬ 
riors tell when they see the reflections in 
the river. 


AMONG THE CANNIBALS 

It w*as not many days after this that 
the foremost warriors stopped short in 
their march. 

“What is it?” cried Nyam-Nyam, run¬ 
ning forward. 

But there was no need of an answer. 
There before them was a clearing. In the 
center of the clearing stood a fence made 
of long poles. This surrounded a village. 
Passing out through the gateway of this 
village were a number of hideous-looking 
warriors. 

When the slaves, who had been so brave 
in the presence of the crocodiles and the 
elephants, saw these warriors, they quaked 
with fear. Their teeth chattered. They 
looked closer at the high fence of poles, 
and on the top of each pole they saw a 
,137 


138 


AKIMAKOO 


skull. Some of these were the skulls of 
animals. Some were the skulls of men. 

“Have courage,” commanded Nyam- 
Nyam sternly. “Do not show your fear. 
We are too few in number to fight with 
these people. Let us, therefore, pretend 
we do not fear, but come as friends.” 

By this time the hideous warriors were 
very near. The little party knew they 
were in great danger. But though Akim- 
akoo knew he was at last in the presence 
of the cannibals, though he knew without 
joking that he might possibly serve as a 
cannibal breakfast, he did not show the 
least fear. 

Nyam-Nyam stepped forward to greet 
the cannibal king. Akimakoo proudly 
stepped to the side of Nyam-Nyam. He 
placed his little black hand on Nyam- 
Nyam’s arm and gazed at the strange 
warriors with bright, wide-open eyes. 


AMONG THE CANNIBALS 


139 


They were immense fellows, over six 
feet high. They wore no clothing except 
strips of leopard’s skin about the loins. 
Their entire bodies were tattooed fanci¬ 
fully with blue ink. Their teeth were 
filed to sharp points and stained black. 

The cannibal king approached Nyam- 
Nyam. He was very hideous to see. He 
was in lull war array. His body was 
painted bright red. 

The cannibal king and his warriors wore 
their hair in two long braids down their 
backs. Their whiskers were braided in 
three or four stiff braids and stuck straight 
out from their faces. In every braid were 
strings of white beads. At the end of every 
braid hung a brass ring. 

For a long time Nyam-Nyam and the 
cannibal king talked together. It chanced 
that the cannibals had just been at war 
with a neighboring tribe, and so had many 


140 


AKIMAKOO 


prisoners. They chose, therefore, to trade 
with Nyam-Nyam rather than take his lit¬ 
tle party captive. 

Now the cannibals are great elephant 
hunters. They are almost as fond of ele¬ 
phant meat as they are of human flesh. 
The cannibal king had large quantities of 
ivory stored away in his chests. For this 
Nyam-Nyam wished to trade. The party 
entered the village, pretending that they , 
had no fear, though the slaves were quak¬ 
ing, and even Nyam-Nyam the brave war¬ 
rior felt anxious. Nyam-Nyam looked 
often at the cannibals’ great shields of 
elephant’s hide. He glanced, too, at the 
three ugly-looking spears which each war¬ 
rior carried. 

But that which Nyam-Nyam feared most 
was the little skin bag filled with arrows 
which was slung over each cannibal’s shoul¬ 
der. These arrows were very harmless- 


AMONG THE CANNIBALS 


141 


looking indeed. They seemed only slender, 
hollow reeds. They were no more than a 
foot long. They were so light that a 
breeze would blow them away. But on 
the sharpened tip of each hollow, reed-like 
arrow was a little red stain. 
Nyam-Nyam knew this stain 
was the poison from which 
no man may recover. 

The cannibals prepare this 
poison from the juices of a 
deadly plant which grows in 
the forest. They dip their 
arrows again and again into 
the sap of this plant and let 
the poison dry in. Then the 
cannibals carefully place the poisoned ar¬ 
rows in their skin bags. 

They shoot these arrows from very 
strong bows. So rapidly do they fly 
through the air that one cannot see them 



POISONED ARROWS 


142 


AKIMAKOO 


coming. So deadly is their poison that 
even the slightest scratch from one causes 
almost instant death. 

Now Nyam-Nyam and his warriors car¬ 
ried poisoned arrows. They were prepared 
carefully. But only the cannibals know 
the secret of making these most deadly 
arrows, from whose poison no living crea¬ 
ture has ever been known to recover. 

It was no wonder, then, that Nyam- 
Nyam eyed those arrow bags with alarm, 
although all the time he pretended to be 
so brave. 

As the party entered the village, the 
women and children came out. Their 
bodies were tattooed even more than those 
of the men. They wore brass anklets and 
iron earrings. Each of the queens wore a 
cap of white beads. 

Nyam-Nyam’s quick eyes soon noticed 
that though the beads were beautifully 


AMONG THE CANNIBALS 


143 


strung, these cannibals had none but white 
beads. He knew how pleased they would 
be with the pink and the blue ones which 
he carried. 

All that day and until noon the next 
day Nyam-Nyam and the cannibal chief 
talked and traded together. The canni¬ 
bals were delighted with the pink and the 
blue beads. They begged Nyam-Nyam 
to come again with more. This Nyam- 
Nyam said he would do if the cannibals 
would promise to let no harm befall his 
men on this trip. The cannibals were 
glad to promise. 

That night there was a grand dance in 
the cannibal village. There was music, 
too. Akimakoo was charmed with the 
music of the handja. 

The handja was made of a set of hollow 
gourds securely fastened together and cov¬ 
ered over with hard wood. The man who 




f 


THE DANCE IN THE CANNIBAL VILLAGE 





















AMONG THE CANNIBALS 145 

made the handja music was a tall fellow 
with a necklace of carved elephants’ teeth. 
He took the handja across his knees and 
beat it lightly with two sticks. At the 
same time another big fellow beat the 
drum. The drum was a hollow log with 
deer-skin stretched across the ends. 

The musicians beat furiously, and the 
dancers danced until they were breathless. 
Everyone thought it a fine party. 

The next morning our little company 
set out from the cannibal village. The 
slaves dragged great tusks of ivory. In¬ 
deed, they had all they could manage to 
carry. 

“We may as well start for home,” said 
Nyam-Nyam, when they were outside the 
village. “We have enough ivory to fill 
several chests, and we can carry no more. 
Come; our king will be pleased with us, 
and we shall be pleased to get home! 


146 


AKIMAKOO 


The slaves gave one loud whoop of joy. 
Akimakoo felt a choking lump in his 
throat and a mist in his eyes when he 
thought of the home village, and of Kalulu 
his sister, and Yombee his mother. 

“A-ha! A-ha! A-ha!” shouted the whole 
party in joy. 



TRADING FOR IVORY 




HOME AGAIN 


For three days they journeyed on 
through the forest. At length they came 
to a great river. 

“Look,” cried Nyam-Nyam. “This 
river is the same which flows near our vil¬ 
lage.” 

The slaves who were bearing the heavy 
load of ivory gave a shout of joy. 

“Now we shall no longer have to carry 
these heavy loads through the heat,” they 
cried. “We shall float, float, float, until 
we reach our home village.” 

Nyam-Nyam laughed. 

“You are lazy, I believe” he said, with 
a twinkle of fun in his eyes. 

“Oh, no,” said the slaves. “We will 
prove to you that we are not lazy.” 

Thev grasped their heavy knives, which 

147 


148 


AKIMAKOO 


also served as axes, and ran to the nearest large 
tree. They chopped it down and began to 
hollow several canoes out of the great trunk. 

When the canoes were finished the little 
party boarded them and set off down the 
river. Sometimes in the cool of the even¬ 
ing they paddled fast, but most of the time 
they just drifted lazily with the current of 
the river, which was very swift. 

Once, in the cool of the morning, a 
log-like crocodile floated very near them. 

“Let me!” whispered Akimakoo, grasp¬ 
ing his knife closely. 

“Go, boy; but be very careful,” Nyam- 
Nyam whispered back. The boy’s slim 
black body slid into the water so quietly 
that it scarce stirred a ripple. The wary 
crocodile did not see him. 

Presently there was a great splashing in 
the water, and the ripples ran red with the 
blood of the crocodile. The huge tail 


HOME AGAIN 


149 


lashed the waters. The immense jaws 
opened and closed, opened and closed. 
The little party knew that the crocodile 
had received its death blow. But where 
was Akimakoo? 

Nyam-Nyam felt his heart sink as the 
boy did not make his appearance. The 
three slaves that Akimakoo’s father had 
given him sprang recklessly into the water 
to search for their little master. They 
thought that perhaps in diving he had 
become entangled in some of the vines or 
roots in the river bed. 

The whole party forgot the crocodile 
in their anxiety for the boy. Swiftly the 
crocodile charged on the boat in which 
Nyam-Nyam sat. 

“Hi-i! Hi-i!” cried a voice. “Look 
out for the great jaws!” 

Nyam-Nyam nearly upset the canoe, so 
startled was he. For the voice was the 


>150 


AKIMAKOO 


voice of Akimakoo. And there on a big 
black stump on the water’s edge sat the 
little black boy, dripping with water, his 
smooth skin gleaming in the sunlight. 

With a shout of joy the slaves once more 
turned their attention to the crocodile. 
But through loss of blood he was already 
weak. Before he reached the boat his great 
jaws suddenly closed for the last time. The 
crocodile rolled over in the water like a log. 
He was dead. 

“Good for Akimakoo!” shouted the 
whole party. 

Then the little shining black figure 
slipped off the stump and swam to the 
boat’s side, where he was received with 
much shouting and laughter. 

Akimakoo was the hero of the party for 
the entire day. At first he smiled proudly, 
but by and by Nyam-Nyam noticed that 
the boy sat quiet and thoughtful. 


HOME AGAIN 


151 


“Of what are you thinking?'” Nyam- 
Nyam asked. 

Akimakoo looked up quickly. His great 
soft black eyes were filled with tears. 

“I was just thinking of home,” said 
Akimakoo softly, as though talking to him¬ 
self. “I was thinking that in a day or two 
now we shall reach our own village. All 
the people will run down to the shore to 
welcome us. There will be shouting and 
laughing and feasting. And—I shall see 
my father, the king once more. I won¬ 
der—” the boy paused. He looked a 
little sad. 

“Yes!” said Nyam-Nyam. “What do 
you wonder?” 

“I wonder if my father will say that I 
have done well. I wonder if he will think 
I have proved myself worthy of him. In 
the whole journey I have killed no ele¬ 
phant, nor gorilla, nor lion.” 


152 


AKIMAKOO 


“But there was the crocodile.” 

“Yes, I killed the crocodile this morn¬ 
ing, and I did not fear. My arrows do 
not fail. Many a deer and wild boar have 
my arrows brought down. Many a bird 
on the wing have I shot. I am not a cow¬ 
ard, but—” and the boy’s eyes looked 
wistfully into the water—“I wished to do 
something to prove myself a true man of 
the forest before I returned to my father, 
I should like to have my father, the king, 
praise me when I return. I should like 
to see Yombee, my mother, smiling with 
happiness because her son was brave. I 
should like to see tears of pride and happi¬ 
ness and love in Kalulu’s black eyes 
because I am her brother.” 

The boy sighed discontentedly. Nyam- 
Nyam laid his big black hand on the boy’s 
woolly black head. 

“Akimakoo,” he said gently, “you have 


HOME AGAIN 


153 


proved yourself brave and full of strength 
and courage and cheerfulness. Do not 
fear. I can tell your father that you are 
not a coward. And the greater things 
will come later; you are but a boy yet, 
and I am proud of you Akimakoo.” 

Words of praise from Nyam-Nyam 
sounded sweet to the boy’s ears, and he 
fell asleep quite happily. 

It was dusk the next evening when the 
canoes floated in sight of the home village. 
Akimakoo stood up in the boat and 
danced for glee. 

“See the blue smoke arising from the 
fires,” he cried. “I am sure my mother 
is roasting monkey meat over that biggest 
fire. I am sure that Kalulu is shelling 
squash seeds under that big tree! I am 
sure my father is smoking there in the 
twilight! Hurry! Hurry!” the boy shouted 
to the slaves. “Row faster!” 



154 


AKIMAKOO 


The slaves paddled more rapidly, and 
the boat fairly shot over the water. When 
they came nearer the whole party raised a 
loud shout. 

It was answered by a shout from the 
shore, and a little band of people ran 
down to meet them. 

Nyam-Nyam peered anxiously at the 
many fires gleaming in the dusk. 

“See,” cried Akimakoo, “they have 
lighted many fires to welcome us!” 

But Nyam-Nyam shook his head. 

“Those fires were not lighted for us,” 
he said. “I fear there is trouble in our 
village. You may yet be able to prove 
your bravery, my boy!” 

A moment later the canoes grated on 
the pebbles of the river bank. Akimakoo 
was the first to spring ashore. 

There in the twilight he found Kalulu, 
grown taller and more beautiful. He 


HOME AGAIN 


155 


heard again too the gentle jangle of 
Yombee’s bracelets and anklets. He felt 
her soft, warm arms about his neck. 
There he heard again his father’s strong 
voice, and felt the warmth of his hearty 
greeting. 

But through all the rejoicing of the 
home-coming ran a little thrill of uneasi¬ 
ness. No word was spoken as yet, but 
still the whole company felt it. 

At last as Akimakoo hung around Ka- 
lulu’s neck the string of shining beads 
made from the seeds of the gingerbread 
fruit, he asked her the cause of the many 
camp fires. Kalulu shivered and drew 
nearer to her brother before she answered. 

“It is the leopard,” she whispered. 
“He is growing more and more bold. 
We have set snares and traps, but we can¬ 
not catch him. First he helped himself 
to our fresh meat, which was hung outside 


156 


AKIMAKOO 


the huts. Then, last night,”—and Kalulu 
shivered again—“last night he sprang into 
the village. He seized a little black baby 
who was toddling before its mother, and 
was off in an instant. The poor mother 
has wailed and cried all day long. Noth¬ 
ing can comfort her. 

“We have kindled these fires to frighten 
the horrible creature away. We do not 
know at what moment he may spring into 
camp and seize one of us.” 

When the hunters heard the story they 
grasped their hunting knives and their bags 
of poisoned arrows. The children hud¬ 
dled together. Mothers clasped theif 
babies closer to them. All spoke in whis¬ 
pers. “Come,” said Nyam-Nyam, “let 
us hide in safe places and watch for the 
leopard. This must be his last night.” 

The people of the village showed the 
hunters how the leopard always came 


HOME AGAIN 


157 


bounding from one particular thicket. 
Near this the hunters hid themselves and 
watched. For hours they lay hidden there, 
while the women and children huddled 
together in frightened silence in the center 
of the village. 

At last Nyam-Nyam spoke to Akima- 
koo, who waited impatiently in the bushes 
beside him. 

“Go and bring my other hunting knife. 
You will find it hanging on the wall of 
my hut,” he said. 

Without a thought of fear Akimakoo 
ran to the hut. He found the big knife 
and started to return. He was following 
the narrow path which led to the center 
of the village. On either side grew grasses 
higher than the lad’s head. He could 
hear the low tones of the women’s voices, 
as they hushed the babies to sleep. He 
could see the gleam of their anklets in 
the bright moonlight. 


158 


AKIMAKOO 


Suddenly the moon slipped behind a 
cloud. At the same instant, in the tall 
grass before him Akimakoo saw one eye 
gleaming and glowing like a live ball of 
fire! The moon slipped out from behind 
the cloud. By its light Akimakoo could 
see the spotted sides of the leopard as it 
crept nearer. Then Akimakoo’s legs 
shook with fear. He tried to cry for help. 
But his tongue seemed to cling to the roof 
of his mouth. He could make no sound. 
He could not move. After all, he was 
but a little boy. What could he do 
against this enormous, hungry beast? 

At that moment he remembered the old 
elephant pit, of which he had spoken to 
Nyam-Nyam on the journey. He glanced 
about and saw that the pit was just on the 
other side of the, path , opposite the leopard. 
He remembered how deep the pit was, and 
how sharp were the posts at the bottom. 


HOME AGAIN 


159 


The leopard had as yet made no sound. 
Akimakoo could see it crouching, ready 
to spring. Akimakoo’s legs were tremb¬ 
ling now so he could hardly stand. His 
heart was thumping so loudly that he 
could hear nothing else. But the brave 
boy took three steps nearer to the leopard. 
He now stood directly between the 
leopard and the pit. The white moonlight 
fell full upon him. 

The next instant, with a low growl, the 
leopard was springing through the air, 
straight at Akimakoo. The boy, with a 
great effort, jumped aside. The leopard, 
with a snarl of rage, went crashing into 
the pit, and landed on the sharp points of 
the posts in the bottom. 

At the sound of that growl the women 
and children screamed. The men rushed 
from their hiding-places. Yombee, for¬ 
getting everything but her boy, ran straight 


160 


AKIMAKOO 


to the spot, expecting to find Akimakoo 
dead. 

“Oh, Akimakoo! My boy! My boy!” 
she cried as she ran. 

Then there in the moonlight she saw 
him. He was bending his bow to receive 
one of the poisoned arrows. Akimakoo 
fixed the arrow carefully. Then he took 
aim. He watched for the angry gleam of 
the one eye in the pit. Then he fired, 
and his arrow flew true. 

“The leopard is dead! The leopard is 
dead!” was the shout which was raised a 
moment later. Then they crowded around 
the boy and the leopard, which was now 
pulled out of the pit. “You are my brave 
son!” cried the king, proudly. 

“You have proved yourself a true man 
of the forest,” said Nyam-Nyam, the 
mighty hunter. 


































































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